


No Ordinary Girls

by AlibiRooms



Category: H2O: Just Add Water
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Lewis is a good good science boy idc if its a trope, Magic, Memory Loss, MerMay, Mermaids, Slow Burn, Violence Mentions, how about i didn't want to choose between Emma and Bella so i chose neither
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2018-10-30 18:52:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10882860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlibiRooms/pseuds/AlibiRooms
Summary: What if the events of H20: Just Add Water took place a few years later? A re-telling of the original story with new characters and less plot holes. The girls are seniors in high school dealing with magic, mermaid tails, and troublesome side effects.





	1. Detour

            Cleo slapped at her alarm until the horrible beeping stopped. Warm sunlight shone through a break in her curtains, right into her eyes. She sat up with a groan. Her phone showed two missed calls from Rikki, and a text from Lewis: _Don’t forget the meeting._

“Shit!” Cleo jumped out of bed and started scrambling for clothes. She had completely forgotten about her meeting with Mr. Wilder. As she was tugging on a pair of leggings, she dialed Rikki’s number.

            “Good morning, sunshine,” Rikki’s sarcasm wasn’t lost over the phone lines, “I thought I’d have to come get you out of bed myself.”

            “Where are you?”

            “I just pulled onto your street. You ready?”

            Cleo looked at her rat’s nest of hair in the bathroom mirror, “Give me ten minutes.”

            She threw on an acceptable outfit and grappled with her hair and a brush. She made her way to the kitchen to grab breakfast.

            “Morning,” Said her dad from the couch. Cleo took in the blankets and pillow and pursed her lips.

            “Morning, Dad.” She made toast and left as quickly as possible, before her mom came downstairs. She had listened to them fighting all night long and wasn’t eager for round two.

 

            Rikki tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, parked in Cleo’s driveway. It was already hot out, and hair was curling at her temples. Cleo all but fell out the front door. Her dark hair fell in messy curls down her back, she was wearing a shirt about three sizes too big and her backpack was hanging off her shoulder only half-zipped. She slung it into Rikki’s backseat and climbed inside.

            “Rikki, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

            “It’s okay.” She threw the car in reverse as Cleo rifled through papers and started scribbling. She knew exactly what had happened- Cleo hadn’t listened to Rikki when she said to start her essay the week before, and had probably been up all night working on it. She looked at the pages out of the corner of her eye as she sped down the street. They were covered with Cleo’s messy scrawl.

            “I hope that’s not the assignment you’re about to turn in.”

            Cleo didn’t answer.

            “Cleo!”

            “I know, I know. Dad made me take Kim to some concert and I didn’t have time to finish this. But it’s fine.”

Rikki rolled her eyes but said nothing. The last time she had gotten onto Cleo about grades, she nearly had her head bitten off. She was normally kind of a pushover, but had recently become short tempered and quiet. It wasn’t like Rikki to be the mothering type, in fact it was usually the opposite, but she had seen Cleo’s last report card and knew how bad things really were.

Rikki got them to school in record time. Cleo shoved her papers back into her bag and tied the top half of her hair into a bun with a pencil in her teeth.

            “Thanks Rik, wish me luck. Wilder’s make up tests are _ridiculous_.”

            “Luck,” she said. When Cleo got out, she slumped back into her seat. She had been trying to get Cleo to find a tutor for ages, but she would never listen. Rikki was useless at school stuff, but at least she wasn’t too proud to ask for help. She wasn’t stupid, it was pretty obvious Cleo’s mum and dad had been fighting, but Rikki didn’t see what all the fuss had been about. She had grown up with two parents that hated each other; and honestly, it had been kind of a relief when they split.

            Tired of sitting in the car, Rikki walked over to the administrative building. It was nearly eight, so the sun wasn’t full out. The humidity was relieved by a slight breeze that followed her across campus. The palm trees rustled above her, hiding chirping birds. She had planned on talking to her advisor about next semester’s classes. After all, there were only a few weeks of school left. She pushed open the heavy door.

            “Oh, Rikki, darling.” Rikki jumped when one of the office aids noticed her and waved her to the counter. She held her hand over a phone mouthpiece impatiently, “Could you show our new student here to her classes? Rhonda’s out and I’m quite busy. Thank you!” She put the phone back to her ear and turned away.

            “Uh,” Rikki stood like a deer in headlights, turning slightly to face a girl she hadn’t noticed sitting on a waiting bench. She was pale, with dark red hair falling in sheets over her shoulders. Her black dress looked more appropriate for a law office than high school.

            The girl stood and held out her hand with a sunny smile. “I’m Piper. Just moved here from Darwin.”

            “Rikki, native,” she shook the girls hand. There was a beat of silence. “Let’s see your schedule, I suppose.”

            Piper was taking nearly all honors classes, Rikki noticed. It was impressive.

            “Alright, I’ll show you around.” She held the door open for the other girl, and a thought popped into her head. “Ever thought about tutoring?”

           

            Cleo sat at a table on the quad, picking at some celery and waiting on Rikki. Her physics book was open in front of her, but it may well have been written in Chinese, for all she was getting out of it. Lewis was too busy with some science project to come to lunch. She doubted she would see him at all that day.

            “Oi,” two trays set down across from her, “how’s the grass?”

            “It’s not grass,” Cleo defended her celery. She looked up, and her eyes fell on the girl next to Rikki. Her brain grinded to a halt. Dark red hair framed a pale, freckled face marked by red lipstick and long lashes. The girl smiled at her and Cleo’s heart started racing. She cleared her throat.

            “This is Piper. It’s her first day.”

            _Obvously_ , Cleo thought. She would know if she had seen this girl before.

            “How was your test?” Rikki asked, tucking in.

            “It went fine. Easier than I expected.”

            “That’s how they get you.” Piper picked at a salad, “Every time I feel good about a test I end up doing poorly.”

            “Boo-hoo,” Rikki mimed a tear. Her mouth was full of potatoes. “You must be doing terribly if they let you in all honors.”

            Piper blushed, but didn’t seem to take offence at the sarcasm.

            “All honors?” Cleo asked. That sounded extremely tiring. Piper nodded.

            “I went to a private school back home. They tried to push us to university level by year 10.”

            “Wow.” Cleo looked down at her book and tried to appreciate that it could be worse.

            The day passed slowly. Cleo felt completely behind in all of her classes but couldn’t bring herself to care. She spent most of the time staring out the window and trying to stay awake. She had no classes with Piper, but that wasn’t surprising. Rikki texted her a few hours after lunch to tell her they were taking Piper to see the beach.

            She rode in the back on the way to new girl’s house, staring at the trees and houses they passed. She had another essay due next week in English, and several assignments for Chemistry and Physics that would be late if she didn’t start tonight. She sat back in her seat and closed her eyes.

            Rikki and Piper chatted about school and whatever else as they drove, and Cleo listened with interest. Piper had been a star student at her old school, and played golf and cricket on the school teams. She talked very fast, and sometimes Cleo opened her eyes to see that she was waving her arms animatedly along with whatever she was saying. When they pulled into a drive, Cleo opened her eyes again.

            “Whoa,” she leaned up into the front to get a good look, “Nice house.” It was an understatement. Even the word ‘house’ was an understatement. It was a mansion, a towering three stories and a huge, manicured lawn. Cleo felt like an understatement.

            Piper blushed, “I’ll be right back.” She hopped out and ran up to the door, heels clacking audibly on the stone walkway. Rikki and Cleo looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

            “I bet they’ve got a maid.” Rikki whispered.

            “And a dumbwaiter.” They both erupted into giggles and continued to speculate on the inside of the house until Piper ran back outside, shattering Cleo’s train of thought. Her hair glinted copper in the sunlight and swung heavily on the back of her head in a high ponytail. She wore a halter swim top and a pair of very short shorts with a high waist. She looked nothing short of a runway model. When she got back in the car, the smell of cherries and sunscreen followed.

 

            The beach was packed, driving the girls toward the noisy but less populated docks, where fishermen were either readying for sail or coming in for the day. The air was busy with yells and metal clanks.

            “Sometimes if you walk farther out you can see some cool fish,” Rikki crouched to look into the murky water. “They like it here more than the beach.” She saw a long silver something dart out of sight as she swirled a finger just over the surface.

            “That’s a beauty,” Piper said, but she wasn’t looking at the water. “Kind of sticks out, though.”

            Rikki rolled her eyes when she saw the speed boat Piper was talking about. “So do the owners. Only the Bennets stick out less like a nice boat and more like a sore thumb.” The boat was white and new, bigger than some of the fishing boats, and right on cue, Zane Bennet himself appeared from behind the driver’s cab, apparently doing work on the engine. He caught sight of them and smirked.

            “Doing some window shopping, eh girls? Well,” He ran a hand over the side rail, “I can guarantee this one’s out of your price range.”

            Rikki made a rude gesture with her hand, but Piper spoke up before she could answer.

            “Actually it’s not. Ours is bigger. Only we have our own… _private_ dock.” She flipped her hair and kept walking. “Is he always like that?”

            Rikki snorted, “I’ve been here years, and he’s never said a kind word to anyone.” Rikki took private pleasure in Zane’s sour look.

            “Seems like an arse.”

            Rikki smiled and nudged her with her shoulder, “I knew I liked you.”

            Rikki noticed Cleo had stopped cold. The smile was wiped off of her face and replaced with a pained expression. Rikki followed her gaze to the boat parked at the end of the row. _The Lucinda_ , Cleo’s dad’s fishing boat, was moored. Two very familiar people were stood at the bow, having quite the row.

            Cleo’s parents. They hadn’t noticed their daughter, and were having an extremely heated fight. Rikki looked back at Cleo, who had turned on her heel and begun to walk back down the pier.

            “Cleo, hold on,” she ran after her, tugging Piper in tow. Cleo approached Zane, who was now working on undoing the knot holding the boat to the dock. He was so focused on the knot he didn’t see Cleo as she took a running start and jumped onto the hood. The jolt was enough to jerk the rope loose. Zane stumbled back and fell on his arse. He spluttered but seemed too shocked to actually form a sentence.

            “Are you coming or not?” Cleo called to the two girls frozen on the dock. She sat in the driver’s seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life. Rikki gaped at the situation unfolding in front of her, speechless. It was a terrible idea, but the look of dawning horror on Zane’s face was too entertaining. She looked at Piper, whose eyes were wide with confusion, and shrugged.

            “Welcome to the Gold Coast,” She ran and jumped onto the boat, holding out a hand. Piper took it and joined her aboard. They sat in the back while Cleo backed the boat out of the bay.

            As they floated past the Lucinda, Cleo revved the engine. “Hey Dad! Hey Mum!” She called. The couple looked at her, aghast, as she sat in the drivers seat and put her hand on the clutch.

            The boat jumped forward, tearing up the water as they soared past the rocks and into open water. Rikki and Piper secured themselves on the rails and held on for dear life. This was very, very stupid. Rikki was having the time of her life. She untied her hair and let it whip around her face.

            “Aren’t we going to get in trouble?” Piper yelled over the sound of the wind and boat engine. Rikki shrugged again, sitting back.

            Not thirty minutes later, they slowed to a stop in open water. Rikki sat up from where she had been reclining in the sun. “We’re stopping?”

            Cleo didn’t answer. She and Piper exchanged a look.

            “Cleo? What is it.”

            “T-the boat. I’ve broken the boat.” She started to frantically turn knobs and push buttons. The engine made an awful noise in complaint. Cleo threw her sunglasses to the side and pressed her palms to her eyes.

            “Oh no, oh no, oh no”

            “Whoa, calm down.” Rikki put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

            “No it won’t,” Tears leaked from behind her eyes. “Why did I steal the boat? Mr. Bennet is going to kill me.”

            Cleo continued to mutter under her breath, head in hands. Rikki looked around for some kind of solution. It was hot, and now that they had stopped moving the sun beat down on her uncomfortably.

            Piper made her way over to the panel Zane had had open before, swaying slightly as the boat tilted. She removed the white board and looked at the mess of wires and dials.

            “Can you fix it?” Rikki asked hopefully, but Piper just shook her head.

            “Not a chance.”

            Rikki pulled out her phone, but there was no service.

            “I’m sure the Bennet’s have some sort of tracking device. They’ll find us in no time.” Cleo didn’t move, just kept her head down, breathing very hard. “Aren’t him and your dad old friends? You and Zane were in diapers together, Cleo. It’s going to be fine.”

            “Oi,” the Piper stood up suddenly, pointing behind Rikki, “Has that been there the whole time?” Rikki whipped around, hoping to see the shore, or a cell phone tower. Off in the distance, however, was only a small island. It was quite far off, but close enough that she should have seen it before now.

            “That’s impossible,” Cleo wiped her eyes. “There’s nothing this close to the shore.”

            “We must have drifted,” Rikki guessed. “That, or you weren’t going the way you thought.”

            Cleo glared at her. “I’ve been sailing since I was ten, Rikki. I know where I was going.”

            “Well maybe this _stolen_ speedboat drives a bit faster than the _Lucinda_.” Rikki snapped, and Cleo stomped to the other side of the boat, the dramatic effect ruined as she stumbled when the boat tipped again.

            Silence. Rikki looked at Piper, who was standing awkwardly in the middle. The redhead dropped to her knees and started digging through another panel, this one seemed to be for storing things.

            “Aha!” she pulled out a large piece of yellow rubber, waving it around triumphantly. “Who wants first turn.”

            A full half hour later, they were sweaty and out of breath, but the life raft was inflated. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, and Rikki’s phone told them it was nearing five in the afternoon. They tossed the raft overboard and Rikki carefully hopped on. Piper followed, and held up a hand to Cleo, who hesitated.

            “You go. I’ll stay and wait for help.”

            “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re coming with us.”

            “It’ll be okay, I won’t let you drown.” Piper said, patting the spot next to her. Cleo’s eyes narrowed, but she agreed to be led onto the boat, settling into the spot between the other two. Rikki and Piper began to row, slowly but steadily toward the island. It felt like hours, and eventually she had to hand the oar off to Cleo. The island loomed closer and closer, rising from lush green into a barren mountain top.

            “Do you think it’s a volcano?” Piper guessed when they were closer.

            “I dunno,” Rikki grunted, “I’m still not convinced this isn’t some heat-induced hallucination.”

           

            Piper jumped off of the boat into crystal clear water.

            “It’s beautiful here.” She gazed up the sandy beach at the sudden start of a full on jungle, rising over them and peaking on the volcano. Of all the crazy things to happen on her first day, this wasn’t so bad. She decided to enjoy it, even if they were going to die out here.

            Rikki and Cleo looked completely spent. Cleo waded through the water and collapsed onto the sand. Her hair splayed out in an array of brown curls, and her face was red from exertion. She had taken her shirt off as they were rowing and now only had her bikini top and shorts. She was hot, Piper thought offhandedly. She had just met this girl, and already she had stolen a boat (hot) and driven it out to sea, simultaneously showing up her parents and an obnoxious rich boy (very hot).

            Rikki trudged past her, holding her phone up.

            “Come on, we’ve got to get higher. There’s no signal yet.”

            Piper led the way through the thick foliage, holding branches out of the way for Rikki. Cleo trudged behind them, complaining as Rikki let the branches smack her in the face repeatedly. The ground inclined sharply as they progressed, and the trees opened up to a rocky quarry, where a stream meandered through. It was beautiful.

            Piper was trying to pick over the loose stones when the ground gave way beneath her. With a very undignified shriek, she dropped painfully on her ass and slid down into darkness.

            Her fall was broken on sand. She lay there, dazed with the wind knocked out of her. After a moment, she realized the other two were calling down to her.

            “Piper! Are you okay?” The words echoed and distorted down the shute. The only light came from the hole above her. She felt around the dim room she was in and felt only rock, slightly wet and dripping.

            “I’m fine.” She called back up.

            “Can you get back up?”

            She looked around the blackness.

            “No.”

            There was silence, and she started to worry that they had left her behind when a heavy figure shot out of the hole, knocking her down hard.

            “Ow!” Rikki rolled off of her and sat up on her knees. Her hair was sandy and disheveled. Piper wondered if she looked that bad, then decided it wasn’t worth thinking about. Rikki pushed a button on her phone and the room lit up.

            Piper blinked away the bright spots and pointed to the wall behind Rikki.

            “Look,” she crawled over to the dark hole that opened at the base of the wall. “It’s got to be a way out.” Rikki nodded, and before she could answer another body shot out of the wall.

            “Cleo, you were supposed to stay up there.”

            “What, by myself?” Cleo stood up, crouching slightly in the small area. It was now rather cramped with all three of them.

            Rikki went first, ducking through the hole with her flashlight. She told them it opened up into a room, and they followed suit. The second room was longer, and there was an opening the size of a door at the end. This time it fell downward, and as they walked the sand evened out into a smooth stone.  The flashlight bounced of the glistening walls in unsettling ways, reflecting into shimmering spots of light that made Piper feel watched.

            Eventually, Piper ran into Rikki’s back when she stopped. The light turned off, plunging them into darkness. Cleo shrunk into Piper’s back, placing her hands on her shoulders.

            “Why did you stop?” she whispered, and it sounded right into Piper’s ear. She shivered at the feeling of the taller girl’s body pressed into hers, but chased the thoughts away.

            “Do you hear that?” Rikki didn’t whisper, and her voice echoed ahead of them. They all listened very hard, and Piper could hear the sound of rushing water ahead of them. They moved forward hesitantly, and Piper understood why Rikki had turned the light off. The blackness was becoming lighter, almost gray. Logically, Piper knew it couldn’t be sunlight. They had been moving downward for quite some time.

            Then again, logic seemed to take a backseat as they stepped into a cavernous room. Piper’s eyes widened impossibly at the display in front of her. The room was no bigger than a classroom or her kitchen, but felt huge after the claustrophobic tunnel. The floor was a dark gray stone, paved in uneven slabs until it met the edge of a large pool. A small waterfall poured out of the rock above it, making it seem alive. The room was lit all in blues and silvers, which was no wonder as Piper’s eyes drifted upwards. The glistening rock walls rose, and rose, and rose, impossibly high. At the peak, they stopped in a large circle, framing the sky high above them. A patch of dark blue sky dotted with stars looked down on them.

            “Wait,” Cleo’s voice was hushed in the great room, and the word echoed up the walls, creating the feeling that the walls were whispering back at them. “It’s not night time. The sun is still up.”

            Piper looked at her. She was pale under the blue light, eyes wide and fearful. Rikki was standing at the edge of the water now, staring down at it silently.

            “Rikki,” Piper said, and the blonde girl didn’t respond. She tried again, and Rikki looked up, taking a half step away from the edge.

            “What?”

            “What time does your phone say?”

            “We’re inside the volcano,” she murmured, frowning at the water again. She didn’t move to take her phone out of her pocket.

            Piper didn’t really know what to say. How long could they have been down here? Thirty minutes? An hour? Either way, there had been no time for the sun to set. The air around them seemed heavy with…what? It was like the rock was talking to her, and if she focused hard enough she might hear it.

            A brighter light filled the room, and when she looked up she saw the moon, cresting over the side of the volcano mouth. It seemed huge, like it might fill the sky completely. The moonlight hit the small pool with intensity. The water seemed to light up, sending dancing streaks of light over the rock and Piper’s face. Rikki was still looking into it, hypnotized.

            “We need to get in,” she pointed to the back wall of the water. Piper stepped forward and saw that there was a tunnel there. Maybe it was a way out.

            “You’re right.”

            Cleo gripped her arm tightly, “Are you mad?”

           

            Rikki held Cleo’s hand as Piper took a breath and ducked under, swimming into the tunnel like a pro. A few moments passed, and Cleo started to panic.

            “Oh, my God she’s drowned, o-or been eaten by sharks, or- “

            Rikki just held her hand. Her head felt swimmy and weak- like she might pass out any second. The air was pressing down on her in strange ways, like the opposite of being on the top of a mountain. Like she was at the bottom of the ocean.

            “Look,” she said as the water broke over Piper’s head. Red hair draped over the sides of her face and clouded around her like blood. She looked like some sort of fey creature in the water.

            “It opens up after about thirty seconds. Open water.”

            “Cleo?” Rikki turned and placed her hands on her friend’s shoulders.

            “Yes?” Cleo’s eyes were shut tight, and she was breathing hard.

            “Look at me.” Hazel eyes opened, wide with terror. “We are going to swim to safety. We are going to swim through that tunnel, and signal for help.”

            “Signal how? How is anyone going to find us?”

            “Cleo, think. The Bennets will have already tracked their boat’s location, and the police will know we’re on this island. They won’t, however, find us if we’re _in a volcano._ ” She was making most of it up, but the basis of her words was true. They couldn’t stay here forever.

            Cleo looked at the water with grim determination, “All right. Fine.”

            Rikki helped her in. The water was extremely warm, and turbulent. Cleo clung to her as they tread water. The water hugged her body like a person, drawing her in. She had the wild inclination to just let it take her, sinking below the surface without a trace. Cleo’s grip grounded her. Rikki saw Piper look up, and followed her gaze. The moon was now exactly center with the opening in the rock. It felt like a giant eye, staring unblinkingly at her. The dancing lights of the water reflecting on the walls seemed to become real, and glowing symbols erupted over the dark rock going to the floor and coming to a stop at the edge of the pool. The water started to bubble around them, the air itself seemed to be teeming with magic, whispering something only Rikki could hear. The hair on the back of her neck stood up.

            Even Cleo was speechless. The water became tumultuous around them, splashing out over the sides. Rikki watched the moon as it seemed to grow, coming down into the volcano and hanging over them like a dark cloud. She could have reached up and touched it.

            Then it all stopped. The dancing symbols blacked out, drenching them in darkness. The water became still and dark once more, the trickling water the only noise in the space. Rikki blinked, and the moon was just a moon.

            “Let’s go,” Piper said. She sounded choked up. Rikki nodded in agreement.

            The tunnel opened, as Piper had said. They all gasped for air as they broke the surface. Rikki blinked in the sudden onslaught of light, flashing blue and white. The water police spoke over a bullhorn, telling them to swim to the boat and climb aboard.


	2. Time to Freak Out

           Cleo woke up the next morning in a cold sweat, clutching at her chest. All of the events from the night before came rushing back to her and she felt a bit sick. She drew up her knees and put her head between them, trying to control her breathing. The most important thing was that Mr. Bennet hadn’t pressed charges for anything. Apparently the boat had just run out of gas and didn’t need any repairs. That had been a relief.

            What hadn’t been very relieving were the four missing hours that had dropped out of existence. When Rikki had looked at her phone on the beach, it was seven o’clock. When a kind police officer had shown Cleo his watch on the rescue boat, it read almost midnight.

            They had kept quiet about it, because after all, who would believe them? What could have happened to make them so disoriented? Were they really down there, running through tunnels for four hours? It had felt like minutes. Cleo stood on shaky legs and poured food into her fish tank, switching off the night lights as she did so. Someone knocked at her door.

            “Cleo? Honey, we need to talk.” Her mum’s voice was stiff.

            “No, mum. I’m late for school.” She wasn’t, but she started to throw an outfit together anyway. She heard her mum hesitate before retreating down the stairs. Her parents had been furious with her for stealing the boat, but all she got was a lecture on responsibility. She wasn’t grounded or in trouble, it seemed. It wasn’t exactly surprising. Her parents had been treating her and Kim like porcelain dolls for months now, and Kim had been acting out much worse than Cleo. Maybe that’s why they let her off so easily.

            She sat on the floor by her bed with twenty minutes to spare. Her phone dinged with a message from Rikki, saying she was on the way. She answered and stared at the wall blankly until she got another text.

            “Cleo, want any breakfast?” Her dad called to her from the kitchen. Walking into the living room, Cleo could tell immediately they had already been fighting. She rolled her eyes.  

            “No thanks, dad.”

            “We need to talk about what happened last night.” Cleo picked a piece of toast up from the counter and took a bite. Her parents were sitting at the table, backs straight and arms crossed.

            “Look, I already told you Zane was egging us on. Mr. Bennet wasn’t even mad.”

            “That doesn’t matter, what matter is that you stole the boat in the first place.”’ 

            Cleo threw her toast in the can, “I’ve already gotten the lecture. I promise I’ll be good, okay?” They let it go and she left.

            Rikki didn’t remark about the dark circles under her eyes. Probably because she had them, as well.

            “I told Piper I could pick her up. Her car is still at the school.”

            “Alright,” Cleo’s voice cracked. She coughed uncomfortably, and it was loud in the quiet car.  

            “I was up all night,” Rikki said, after a beat. “I don’t see why we're even going to school, I’ll never focus.”

            Cleo rested her head on the window, “It feels like a dream.”

            “Cleo, it was real. Something… extraordinary happened, and we were lucky enough to see it.”

            “I don’t feel lucky. Actually, I feel sick because it was all my fault to begin with. We could have died.”

            “Cleo… you know that’s not true.”

            Piper looked more rested than either of them. She talked the whole way to school about how much fun she had had the previous day. Rikki engaged while Cleo slumped in the front seat, playing with her hair.

           

            Rikki found Cleo in the bathroom after lunch. She heard quiet sobs coming from the end stall and knocked gently.

            “Cleo, talk to me.”

            “I’m fine, just go.”

            “I won’t. You can’t keep bottling things up like this. It’s not healthy.” She got silence in return, and hit the door with the flat of her hand, “Damn, you, woman. I’m not meant to be nurturing! You’re making me live out my own personal hell.”

            She heard a small giggle, and stepped back as Cleo came out. Her eyes were puffy and swollen.

            “What’s going on? Did Zane say something?”

            “No.” Cleo dabbed at her eyes with loo paper and leaned into the mirror. “My parents are just going to fight more because of me. I don’t know… it’s a dumb thing to cry about, I suppose.”

            “It’s really not. If you could just- “she stopped as the door opened. It was Piper, and she looked surprised to see them there.

            “Hey!”

            “Hi,” Cleo mumbled. She turned the sink on, jerking the handle slightly too hard.

            Water sprayed them all. Rikki and Piper jumped back, but Cleo got the worst of it. She fumbled to turn it off.  

            “I’m sorry.” She wiped water out of her eyes and Rikki could sense another break down coming.

            “It’s alright. It wasn’t that bad.” She looked at the water stains on her shorts. Piper’s white dress looked worse for wear. The redhead pursed her lips and forced a smile.

            “It’s fine.”

            Cleo gripped the sink basin and her eyes filled with tears. Rikki moved to comfort her, but instead of moving, her legs collapsed underneath her. She fell forward with a cry, landing hard on her elbows in front of the sink. There were two identical thumps behind her.

            Her legs felt wooden and stiff. She flipped onto her back and had to clap a hand over her mouth to hold in a scream. Her legs had disappeared. In their place was a long, scaly tail. Cleo and Piper were on the floor as well, in the same predicament. They looked at each other in silent horror.

           

            Cleo paced around her bedroom after school, Piper and Rikki sitting on her bed. She had forced herself to get through the day normally, but taking a Chemistry test had proven quite difficult right after growing a freak tail in the girl’s room. Now she was home, and it was time to freak out.

            “I say we go back to that island, find some answers,” Piper argued, sitting on the bed.

            "Are you insane? Last night we lost  _four hours_. That time is gone now. Who knows what will happen when we go back?" Piper went back to staring at her nails, and Rikki was tugging on a braid absently. Cleo crossed her arms.

            “Why are you two so calm?”

            “I think you’re taking this a bit seriously,” Rikki let go of the braid, “This could be cool. We’re like…mermaids.” It was the first time any of them had said it out loud, and it sat there like a heavy weight.

            “I agree.” Piper had changed into some of Cleo’s sweats, rolling them way up to fit around her ankles. Her dress lay on the bed next to her, the bottom sides split almost five inches up, shredded by her tail. That was nothing compared to Cleo’s shorts and Rikki’s khakis, which sat in pieces, piled in Rikki's car. The tails they had grown split the material clean in half, ruining it. Not to mention underwear. Luckily, Piper’s dress was still somewhat suitable enough for her to run to Rikki’s car and grab replacement clothes. They had come straight here after school.

            “’Cool’? Haven’t you thought about what we can’t do? No more drinking water, no more swimming, no more showering!”

            Piper rolled her eyes, “That’s a bit much. We can still do all of those things, just not where everyone can see! And haven’t you heard of straws?”

            “C’mon,” Rikki looped an arm through one of Cleo’s and led her to the door. She went, reluctantly, and found herself standing on the small dock in her backyard.

            “What?” She snapped, crossing her arms. Rikki huffed at her bangs.

            “We’ve got to try this out again, don’t you think?”

            “I don’t think. I’d rather go see a… a doctor or something.”

            “You’re not serious?” Piper pulled the borrowed shirt over her head and let it drop to the wooden planks. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Rikki and Cleo stared as she dropped the sweatpants.

            “Whoa!” Rikki slapped a hand over her eyes, “What’s the idea?”

            Piper stood, completely naked. Cleo’s eyes swept over her body without thinking, and she felt herself blushing. She cast her eyes skyward when Piper looked at her.

            “What? We’re going to have to get used to seeing each other naked unless you want to ruin more pants.” She wagged her eyebrows at Cleo and ran past her, diving right in.

            Rikki lowered her hand. “I supposed she’s right, isn’t she?”

            Cleo sighed and started stripping. Rikki set down the towels she was carrying and did the same. Cleo was the last one in the water, fighting the urge to run and put her clothes back on. She had never been skinny dipping before, and vaguely wondered if this even counted as that.

            The water went from warm to chilly as she sank to the sandy bottom. Bubbles trailed out of her nose and the water surface rose one, two, three feet above her head. She was just starting to burn for oxygen when her kicking legs went stiff and became like a dead weight. She looked down, and hysterical panic rose in her throat. Her tail was blue, silvery scales starting below her navel and spanning what had to be nearly six feet. It was also very heavy, and she sunk to the bottom in seconds. Normally, she would feel the pressure of anything deeper than four or five feet. She was easily ten feet under now, and her ears weren't even popping.

             Rikki had already started swimming, moving her tail experimentally and surging forward faster than two legs could take her. Her tail was a deep green; its fluke swayed like kelp as she pushed forward. Piper was beside her, gripping one of the wooden supports of the dock. Her hair swayed around her like a flame, and her tail glittered copper and orange in the sunlight. She smiled at Cleo and swam past her, motioning that she should follow.

            When Cleo had swum in the past, it was usually a fight to stay underwater, the air in her lungs always pulling her to the surface again. Now, it was like having an anchor sown on at the waist, keeping her close to the sandy floor. And when she moved her tail, the large blue fluke propelled her forward, catching her up with the other two. They swam alongside each other, unable to keep smiles off their faces.

            It occurred to her that the burning need for oxygen had disappeared from her lungs. They didn’t come up for air until they were way past the bay, blinking water out of their eyes.

            “How long was that?” Piper asked breathlessly. “Fifteen minutes?”

            “More like twenty!” Rikki’s cheeks were flushed and she had a rare grin on her face. Cleo felt more free than she had in… maybe her whole life. She felt like she could keep swimming, for miles and miles, and never come back.

            She felt magical.

 

            Rikki walked down the beach later that afternoon. She kept to the edge of the surf, feeling the sort of contentment only someone who has a wonderful, wonderful secret can feel. It was nearing sunset, so all the tourists had gone for the day, and she felt like she had the beach to herself. She sat on a dune and watched the surfers in the distance, letting the breeze blow wisps of her hair out of their braids.

            Her perfect moment was ruined by a voice from behind her.

            “Oi!” It was Zane, coming out of hell to torment Rikki. She turned back toward the ocean and closed her eyes, wishing him gone. He walked over and stopped in front of her, blocking the sunshine. She opened her eyes to glare at him.

            “Where’s your friend? She’s too scared to show her face around here, I expect. After what she did.”

            Rikki huffed and stood up, “You know her name, Zane.” She turned and walked away. He followed, obviously eager to ruin someone else’s day.

            “She'll get what she deserves for stealing my boat. You can tell her I said that."

            Rikki’s temper reached its pitch and she turned around, thrusting a finger in Zane’s face. To his credit, he looked surprised.

            “If you say one word to her, I will skin you alive, and that’s not an empty threat. If you had any _clue_ the kind of stuff she deals with while you’re swaggering around spending Daddy’s money on speedboats, you’d soil your Egyptian cotton undies.” She lowered her finger. “And she didn’t steal your boat, you prick. We were _going_ to bring it back.” She stomped away before he could answer.

           

            Cleo woke up from a nap to her phone buzzing near her head. She sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. An orange sunset shone through her curtains, and her fish tank cast blue light over her room. She squinted at her blinding phone screen and read the text from Lewis.

            _Fishing tonight? Dinner on me._

Cleo smiled, then felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t want to keep secrets from Lewis. He was her oldest friend, and the only one Cleo felt okay opening up to about her parents. His had divorced the previous year, and he knew how it felt. Rikki understood, too, she knew, but was rarely sympathetic. The thought of keeping this huge development from him was odd, but what was her alternative? It wasn’t her secret to tell.

            She forced a brush through her hair and walked to their spot. It was a short walk to the beach. She found the rocky outcrop where Lewis liked to fish. It was out of sight from the main beach, and was apparently good for fishing. She picked her way over the rocks and found Lewis. He was sitting with his feet in the water, sitting on a rock. Two containers of take-out sat next to him.

            “Didn’t know if you’d show.” He said as she sat next to him, carefully staying away from the water.

            “I just woke up, thought it’d be quicker to walk over than call.” She tore into her lo mien with a groan. Swimming for hours on end was turning out to be quite the metabolism booster.

            She and Lewis made small talk while he fished. Cleo enjoyed their time together. They had been night-fishing since they were kids, when Cleo would sneak out of her house to meet him.

            “Dad’s been sleeping on the couch,” She said finally, looking down at her lap.

            Lewis sighed, fiddling with an electric pink lure, “I’m sorry.”

            “S’not your fault. And I don’t think the color matters when it’s dark out.” She giggled and he nudged her with his shoulder.

            She fell over sideways, throwing her hand into the water to balance herself. Panic flooded her brain as she scrambled to her feet.

            “Lewis, I have to go.”

            “What? What’s wrong?” She jumped over rocks to get out of his line of sight, unbuttoning her shorts as she went. She heard Lewis calling out to her, but just yelled a goodbye over her shoulder as she ripped the shorts off and dove into the water.

 

            Rikki huffed her bangs out of her face as she messed with the blender. Her shift at the Juicenet was almost over, thank God. She planned to spend the rest of her day in the water, being anyone other than the juice bar waitress. She walked over to where Cleo was nursing a guava juice and passed her a refill.

            “On the house.”

            “Thanks.” She switched her straw over and blew sad bubbles into her drink.

            “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the matter?”

            Cleo puffed out a lower lip, and Rikki felt her hackles raise. That look meant she wanted something.

            “I was fishing with Lewis last night…”

            “What, on the _beach_?” Rikki said incredulously, leaning in.

            Cleo rolled her eyes, “That’s the general idea of _fishing_ , isn’t it? Anyway, I sort of had a close call, and-“

            “Did he _see?_ ” Rikki dropped her voice to a whisper, looking around.

            “No, but I feel bad for lying to him. I think he should know.” She looked away to avoid Rikki’s gaze.

            “Cleo, no. No one can know about us. It’s too dangerous.”

            “It’s just Lewis. What’s the harm?”

            “Cleo, listen to me closely: Lewis would sooner have you on a dissection table than act like a normal human being and keep our secret. Trust me, it’s for the better.” She turned to the blender and resumed her work on un-jamming the blade.

            “You just don’t get along with each other. That doesn’t make him a robot.” Cleo pouted at the counter while Rikki worked. At half past ten, she looked at her watch.

            “Got to go, I promised Piper she could help me with Physics.”

            “Lucky her,” Rikki said sarcastically. Secretly, she couldn’t be more pleased that Cleo was letting Piper help her. She waved her friend goodbye and checked the clock. Only an hour left on her shift.

            She walked out of the cooler a few moments later, arms full of frozen fruits, to see that Zane and his crew had come in. Nate sauntered up to the bar, sneering at her.

            “We’ll have the usual. Today not tomorrow.”

            “Sod off, Nate.” She set the bags down on the counter forcefully.

            “Is that any way for the help to talk to a paying customer?”

            Rikki took a deep breath and forced a smile, “Coming right up, dirtbag!”

            She got out four glasses and started making drinks, resisting the urge to spit in them. She set them on a tray on the counter as she finished them.

            Zane had sauntered up to the bar at some point, uncharacteristically quiet.

            “You’re wrong, you know.”

            Rikki gave him her best ‘this conversation isn’t worth my time’ face.

            “What are you on about?”

            “About me. I have problems, too.” Rikki remembered their conversation from the day before. “My life isn’t as peachy as you think it is.”

            Rikki sat another drink on the tray. “I’m making _your_ drinks before you go out dirtbiking. Actually, I make your drinks _all the time_ , and you want to have this conversation? When do you ever make _me_ drinks?”

            “Are you asking me to take you for a drink?” He looked confused. Rikki observed that when he wasn’t sneering or yelling at anyone, he actually looked quite nice. She glared at him and he appeared to take the hint. She made to grab the tray but he beat her to it, pulling it out of her reach and reaching for his wallet.

            “How much do I owe?”

            “Fifteen.”

            He handed her a fifty, turning and walking away with the tray. Rikki’s vision went red. She punched at the register harder than necessary and made change.

            “A forty-dollar tip? Really, Zane, if you want a girl to go out with you that bad just ask Miriam. You wouldn’t even have to pay her.” She slammed the money down on their table as Zane’s friends guffawed. Zane took the money and Rikki thought for a moment that he might be blushing.

            “Maybe he just thought you needed it, love.” Nate picked up his glass, “I mean, we’ve all seen the sad excuse for a car you drive around.”           

            Zane jumped to his feet, but before Rikki found out what he was about to do, Nate cried out in pain, dropping his drink. His hand was flushed red, and the contents of the shattered glass were bubbling and steaming.

            “You need to check your ingredients!”

            Rikki looked at her hand, opening the fist that had formed. Her nails had cut deep into her skin.

           

            Piper told her mother that they were going out, and Cleo led her toward the beach, which she claimed was within walking distance. Piper didn’t mind walking, for once. They had been sitting on her bedroom floor all morning, working on Cleo’s homework.

            She had decided that Cleo was fun to be around. She was funny and smart, and better at Physics than she realized. She just seemed to have a problem concentrating. Piper was running into a similar problem, but for different reasons. Cleo had an annoying habit of chewing on the end of her pencil when she was concentrating, and she also tended to chew on her lip when Piper was explaining things to her. It was incredibly detrimental to Piper’s focus.

            Cleo’s hazel eyes flashed at her as she animatedly told a story about her and Rikki getting kicked out of a department store because Rikki and their friend Lewis were arguing too loudly. Her hands floated through the air, punctuating her sentences. She flipped her brown curls over her shoulder, thoughtlessly hitting Piper with her rain-shower smell. Tan legs moved swiftly under her black shift dress as she walked, making it dance.

            Piper was smitten, and she had been, she thought, since that first day at lunch. Everything Cleo did was distracting to her. She sighed internally. It was never going to happen.

            “You fish here?” She picked her way over the rocks with disdain, trying not to picture what slimy green things might be lurking underneath them.

            “Well, I don’t fish. Lewis does.” She grabbed Piper’s arm as she started to lose her balance, and Piper instinctively reached out with her other hand to grab Cleo’s waist. They both stopped and looked at each other.

            “Sorry,” Piper let go and they were there, a small patch of sand amidst the rocks. The water lapped at their feet, clear and inviting. She started undressing, stuffing her clothes into her bag, in which they had stashed towels.

            Cleo did the same and they waded into the water, stopping knee deep. Piper counted in her head, and got to nine before her legs turned to jelly and she fell forward in the surf with a splash. She turned over and watched her new, long tail follow. The broad fluke turned on the water with a slap.

            “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

            Cleo pushed off into deeper water, “I don’t think I want to.”

            It was the stuff of dreams. Her tail pushed her through the water faster than should have been possible. Somehow, she could see clearly, and her lungs didn’t burn with the need for air. Cleo swam beside her, hair blown backward and cheeks rosy.

            She had snuck out the night before, but the dark blue and violet of the ocean couldn’t compare to the bright blue and white of the rippling sunshine. The reef, when they found it, was breathtaking. It was like being in a museum alone at night; it wasn’t something everyone got to see.

            She swam beneath a rocky outcrop, running her fingers through the sand. A brunette mermaid swam above her, twirling along with a school of fish. Her tail shimmered silver and blue, stark against tan skin. She dived toward her, grabbing one of her hands and pulling her up. They drifted to the surface, blinking salt water out of their eyes.

            “You alright?” Cleo gave her a concerned look.

            “I’m fine. I was just enjoying the view.” She was fully aware of the accidental double meaning, and so was Cleo if her sudden blush was any indication.

            “Um, I think Rikki might be off work by now. Wanna go back in?”

            “Sure. Race you.” She splashed water onto Cleo’s face and dove into the water.

            They didn’t make it to shore for another half hour, getting distracted by the reef and playing tag, seeing who could swim faster. They scoped out the shoreline, and figured they could get as close to the rock as possible before coming up to avoid being seen. Piper kept close to Cleo’s side as they entered shallow water. She felt their tails brush together briefly, and it sent shivers up her spine. They pulled themselves onto the beach and flopped onto their backs. Piper was breathing hard, feeling worked out but not exhausted.

            “That’s the most cardio I’ve had in years,” Cleo joked, sitting up against a rock. Piper doubted that was true, considering how thin and toned the other girl was. Cleo was practically a goddess. Where Piper was all pale skin and freckles, Cleo was tan and bronzed, with brown waves falling over her shoulders and covering her chest. She realized Cleo was still talking and tore her eyes from supple breasts to hazel eyes.

            “Sorry?”

            “I said, do you feel like this is all a bit too much? Like maybe something bad is bound to happen?” Cleo’s eyes were wide.

            “I’ve had enough strife, I’m ready to take a miracle at face value. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad it’s brought us together.”

            She pulled her body up by her elbows, reaching for her bag. The tail, while strong and flexible in the water, was heavy and sluggish on the sand. As she pulled the upper part of her body in front of the rock, arm outstretched, she froze. A blonde boy with a bait box and a fishing pole was staring at her with an open mouth. Piper’s arm automatically retracted to cover her chest and she pushed herself back behind the rock, slamming her back against it next to Cleo.

            “Boy- over there- fishing pole-“ She said between breaths. Cleo’s eyes grew wide and she threw herself across Piper’s lap, poking her head around the rock.

            “Hello, Lewis.” So that was Lewis.  She squeezed her eyes shut. Great, this was the perfect way to meet Cleo’s friends: half naked and hiding behind a rock.

            “Cleo?”

            “Hi, Lewis. Fishing so early?”

            “It’s past noon. W-what are you doing out here? Why did you run off last night?"

            Cleo laughed, with a hint of hysteria. Piper placed a hand on her back, attempting to be reassuring. All she could feel was the weight of the other girl across her lap. Her blood felt like it was buzzing.

            “You know, just showing Piper around. Thought we’d come where its quiet to get some sun.” Piper was frankly appalled at Cleo’s lack of lying skill. She sounded like a bad actor in a stage play.

            “Well, alright, I’ll…” There was a beat of silence.

            "We're naked, Lewis," Cleo said. He made a high pitched noise and Cleo slumped. “He's gone,” She reached for the towels and patted her tail down where it was still draped over Piper. Her hair was still damp and curled over her chest. Piper wanted to reach out and run her fingers through it. She squeezed out her red hair and averted her eyes for the thousandth time that day.

            “ _That_ was bad. Who taught you how to lie, Pinocchio?” Cleo slapped her arm.

            A few moments later, they transformed, and Piper was left fully naked, with two tan legs draped over her crotch.

            Friendship was easier said than done, it seemed.

 

            Rikki ran up the stairs to Cleo’s bedroom, waving to her dad as she passed. She slammed the door behind her and put her back to it. She had waited until the end of her agonizingly long shift to drive over here as fast as she could.

            “Guys. You will not believe this.” Cleo and Piper were sitting next to each other on the bed, poring over homework. Rikki grabbed an empty glass next to the bed and ran to the bathroom, filling it with water. She set it on Cleo’s floor and stood next to it, clapping her hands together.

            “Rikki, what are you doing?”

            “Hush now.” She took a deep breath and concentrated on the water. As she closed her hand into a fist by her side, the calm surface began to bubble and steam rose from the cup. Piper stood up and crouched by the cup, holding her hand over it.

            “It’s hot.” She looked up with wide eyes. “How did you do that?”

            Rikki felt an excited blush creep over her cheeks, “No idea. It just sort of happened.”

            Cleo’s hands were over her mouth. She looked between the glass and Rikki.

            “C-can you do anything else?” Piper sat back on the bed. Her ponytail swung behind her.

            “No. I don’t think so. But if I can do it, so can you, right?” She stepped back and waved them over. Cleo stood up.

            “How did you do it?” Rikki showed her and she repeated it, making a fist at the cup. Nothing happened. She squinted and tried again, thrusting her fist out.

            “Alright there, it’s not a boxing match.” Rikki took her spot on the bed and watched. Cleo tried once more, but nothing happened. She threw her hands up in exasperation.

            “I can’t do it.” She crossed her arms.

            “Cleo,” Piper pointed to the glass, which had fallen over. Cleo looked down.

            “What?”

            “You threw your hand up, and it fell over.”

            Cleo held out a hand and moved it up experimentally. A stream of water rose up from the carpet and hovered in midair. There was a very pregnant pause as they all stared at it. Cleo clapped her hands to her mouth again, and it fell back down.

            “Whoa.” Piper summed it up pretty perfectly, Rikki thought. Whoa.

            “I can’t believe this.” Cleo brought her hand again. It was shaking, but the water that had soaked into the carpet rose up again, twisting through the air.

            “Let me try it.” Piper stood up. Cleo guided the water back into the cup. When it settled, she clapped her hands to her face and squealed, jumping up and down.

            “I can’t believe it. This is _too_ cool.”

            “Shut up, you haven’t seen what I can do yet.” Piper held out a hand and waved it up and down. When nothing happened, she made a fist. “This isn’t fair! Why isn’t it working?”

            Rikki shrugged, “Keep trying?”

            Piper tried all kinds of hand movements, to no avail. She stomped a foot and started to pace. Cleo picked up the glass, grabbing Piper’s arm to stop her.

            “Look,” she whispered, turning the cup upside down. It was frozen solid. Condensation started to gather on the outside.

            Piper grabbed it and shook it up. She set it back on the bedside table and grabbed Cleo’s arms. They started squealing and jumping up and down. Rikki crossed to the frozen glass and picked it up, and quickly setting it down as the condensation melted onto her warm palm. She wiped her hand on her jeans and joined the jumping girls, making an extremely undignified squealing as she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please leave kudos, it's incredibly good for my self esteem.  
> I hope I'm going a good job with Rikki/Zane banter. It was one of my favorite parts of the show!  
> What do you guys think of Piper as an OC? Let me know in the comments!


	3. Moon-Sick

            The next few weeks passed by in a similar daze of happiness. Every day was work, school, and an afternoon of swimming. As a mermaid. With her two mermaid friends. Rikki felt like the luckiest person in the world.

            Zane was the exception. He was always hanging around, trying to make small talk. Rikki guessed she didn’t mind him too much; it was his friends that were so awful. They trashed the dining room and talked to her like a slow mental patient. It was infuriating, and being angry made her lose control of her powers. Instead of having the Juicenet shut down for spontaneously boiling smoothies, she just ran to the walk in whenever she got upset.

            Their newfound powers were endless fun. They usually resorted to stupid pranks at school. At lunch, Rikki would take a sip of her water to find it had completely frozen in her straw, or avoid her straw completely. Cleo and Piper would grin at her from across the table while Lewis was talking, completely oblivious. Before she knew it, nearly a month had passed since all this had started.

            She woke up in a cold sweat early on a Saturday morning, clutching her chest and gasping for air. Her tiny room felt like it was closing in on her and she looked at her phone. 5 am. She tried to recall her dream, but it was fuzzy. Something about the moon.

            She threw on a sundress and a jacket and walked to the docks, enjoying the brisk morning air. Gravel crunched underfoot as she hopped up onto the wooden slats. There were a few men readying their boats for early fishing, but it was mostly quiet. Her peace was ruined as a large figure jumped onto the wood beside her. She had been walking by Zane’s boat without realizing. He grinned down at her and shoved his hands in his pockets.

            “Thought you’d come back for another ride, eh?” She stopped and crossed her arms, but he kept talking. “I’d be happy to take you out. You fish?” He followed along as she turned around and headed toward the beach instead.

            “It’s too early for you, Zane.”

            “C’mon, it’ll be fun.”

            She just wanted to go for a swim, and to do that he would have to go. She turned around to tell him as much, and found herself almost chest to chest with him. He looked down at her with a soft smile that she found oddly…endearing. She took a quick step back, eyes dropping to Zane’s half-buttoned shirt. A large bruise spread from his collarbone to his chest.

            “Zane…”  She brought her hand to the bruise without thinking, touching it lightly. Zane’s smile dropped and he took a hasty step back.

            “What happened?”

            “That’s none of your business,” he snapped. She watched him walk away with a frown.

 

            Cleo reclined on a towel next to Lewis, popping grapes into her mouth. He dug through his tackle box to find a bright green lure.

            “I like the pink one better.”

            He scoffed, “It’s not about color, it’s about the shape of this flare and the density of…” He trailed off at Cleo’s look and cast it silently. After a few moments, he cleared his throat.

            “Shame your friend couldn’t make it.”

            Cleo suppressed a smile and played dumb, “Yeah, I know. Rikki didn’t feel like fishing after work.”

            He cleared his throat again, “I actually meant, uh-“

            “Piper, I know.” She rolled onto her back, looking up at the dark, shifting clouds. It was nearing ten o’clock. “Just because you saw her tits the other day doesn’t mean you have a chance. I mean, you saw mine too and you haven’t been coming on to _me._ ”

            It was dark out but she knew Lewis was blushing.

            “But you’re _Cleo_ ,” he said it with distaste, and she smacked him on the arm, “She’s…gorgeous.”

            “Yeah, yeah.” Cleo felt a pang of uncertainty below the bravado. She and Piper had gotten quite close over the past month, and she had noticed that despite the boys constantly chatting her up, Piper never really responded. Cleo, selfishly, was glad. She told herself she was just having protective feelings for her friend, the same she would for Rikki. She told herself, but it didn’t quite ring true. She looked up at the dark clouds and felt discontented for so many reasons. At the very least, her grades had picked up. There were only a few days of school left, then she would have the whole summer to just worry about mermaid things.

            She still hadn’t told Lewis anything, and it hung between them like a curtain that only Cleo could see. She could feel the words at the tip of her tongue. _Just say it_ , she told herself, _I’m a mermaid. Rikki, me, and that girl you like are all magical fish girls who can control water with their minds. Also, that girl you like has been the subject of my dreams and waking thoughts for about a month._

            She didn’t know which statement was crazier. She could always just wade into the water, and let the rest happen. Maybe catch him a fish or two. She shied away from the thoughts. What if he took one look and ran, or thought her a freak? She couldn’t lose Lewis. It would be like losing an arm.

            _Someday,_ she thought, _but not today._ She watched the clouds pass by, and for a brief second saw the moon.

            Rikki groaned, burying her face into her pillow and groping blindly for her cell phone, which was buzzing very loudly somewhere in her sheets. She found the offending object and, resisting the urge to toss it across the room, accepted and brought it to her ear. No one ever called her, so it must have been important.

            “Hello?” She hoped her voice was coherent.

            “Rikki? Rikki, oh my god.”

            “Lewis? What the hell is it?” She sat up on her elbows, squeezing her eyes shut against the light presumably coming from her window. It could either be a faint sunrise or bright moonlight. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet.

            “Cleo- she just… she just-“

            “Get on with it, mate.”

            “She just… freaked out on me…she…” Rikki sat up fully, her sleep brain putting his words together a bit slower than usual.

            “What’s wrong with her, is she okay?”

            “No, I- I-“

            “Lewis!” She opened her eyes to a squint. Moonlight shone bright into her room, confirming her worst fear. It was still night. “I was sleeping, so if you have something to say, say it.”

            “She’s _gone._ She just started talking about some _island_ and then she got into the water and-and-and-“ His breathing was audible over the phone, and Rikki’s stomach turned upside down.

            “Lewis, uh, what exactly happened?”

            “She’s gone. I- I would call the police, but…”

            “No!” Rikki scrambled to her feet, casting about for a pair of shoes. “Just stay there, and I’ll meet you.” She hung up without waiting for an answer.

 

            The chirping of early birds drifted in through the window, drifting into Cleo’s subconscious slowly but surely. She rolled to her side, feeling a shaft of sunlight warm her cheek. The air had a crisp, early feel to it, the kind that put no pressure on her to wake up.

            She blinked her eyes open slowly, holding back a yawn. The first thing she saw was her fish tank. The decorative lights that adorned the edges of it weren’t on, which struck Cleo as odd. She usually turned them on after giving the fish the night feeding, and off again in the morning. She sat up, frowning. What did she do last night to make her forget? She came home from night fishing and…and…

            Nothing.

            She looked down, running a hand down her chest. She was still wearing the overlarge tee from the night before, but the fabric was starchy and grating. She pulled the bottom of it up to her nose and smelled it. Saltwater.

            When had she been in the water? She stood up and noticed the unpleasant sensation of sand between her toes. She again tried to recall what had happened when she left Lewis, and again hit a wall. She couldn’t remember actually leaving. Only watching Lewis fishing, going for a stretch, and black nothingness.

            She felt a gnawing sensation begin in her stomach and spread to her extremities as she picked up her phone. The screen showed three missed calls from Lewis, and numerous texts.

            _Cleo, if you get this call me._

_I think I’m going mad._

_If I don’t hear from you or Rikki by morning I’m calling the police._

Rikki? What did Rikki have to do with anything. Cleo paced briefly before stopping in front of her window. Past the yard, the ocean lapped at her dock, refracting sunlight in waves. She briefly recalled being in the water, a memory so faint it could have been a dream. Behind her, someone knocked on the door.

            The soft sound made her jump a foot, clutching at her hair in distress. She crossed the room and opened it a crack.

            “Oh, you’re up.” Her dad stood, hands in pockets. “Lewis said he needed to see you. I told him it’s a bit early, and to-“

            “No. No it’s okay. Send him up, would you? It’s about school, “ She added when he looked unconvinced. He tended to look at Lewis as someone hanging around for unsavory reasons, no matter how often Cleo told him how it really was.

            She paced again as footsteps thundered up the stairs. Lewis threw open the door and shut it behind him, leaning against it. He looked horrible, hair all a mess and dark circles under his eyes. He looked how Cleo felt.

            “Before you yell at me,” She held up a finger, and the calm part of her brain noticed it was shaking. “I don’t remember anything from last night. I need you to tell me what happened.”

            He just looked at her, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

            “Lewis, say something.” She felt her stomach turn again, and briefly wondered if she was going to throw up. She put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched. “Lewis…”She took a step back, wringing her hands together. He ran his hands through his hair and reached out to take her hands.

            “I saw your…” she gasped and pulled away from him.

            “You did?”

            He nodded, “You started talking about some island, and you wouldn’t listen to me. You just dove into the water, and when you swam away…”

            Cleo paled, “Island? _Island?_ ” Of course the island had something to do with it. She had had a spontaneous mental break and, presumably, swam back to the island. What did it all mean? And when would it happen again? She felt panic rising in the back of her throat.

            Lewis was staring at her. “Well, do you mind explaining…” he made a crude gesture toward her feet. Cleo’s panic was mildly tamped by his words. Lewis knew. She didn’t have to hide anymore. It was an oddly calming thought.

            “Oh, Lewis, I’m so sorry. I’ve wanted to tell you for weeks, but Rikki didn’t want-“ she sucked in a breath, wishing the words would follow. Lewis’ eyes widened.

            “Rikki! She told me she would meet me last night, then never showed. She won’t answer her phone.”

            Cleo paused, confused by his change of tact. She had just dropped the bomb that Rikki was a mermaid, too, something that she would surely be flayed alive for, and Lewis was worried about a phone call? He stared at her until her brain got on track.

            “Oh, god, it happened to her, too, didn’t it?”

            “There ya go,” Lewis patted her back condescendingly and they ran out the door.

 

            Piper ran a brush through her hair, smoothing down sleep knots. She was eager to get out of the house after being locked in all night at her parent’s business party. Her phone rang and she picked it up, smiling.

            “Morning sunshine.”

            “Pipes, have you seen Rikki at all?” Cleo’s voice was curt and sharp, contrasting Piper’s singsong.

            “Uh, no? I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning, at the Juicenet.” Cleo swore quietly, and Piper heard Lewis’ voice murmur something in the background.

            “You’re with Lewis? At…” her eyes trailed to her alarm clock, “six in the morning?” It was shocking enough she was even out of bed so early. 

            “Yeah, look, I’ll be at your place in a few. It’s important.” Cleo hung up and Piper stared at her phone. Odd.

            “ _What?_ ” She repeated for the third time as Cleo finished her story. Her mind was spinning. Cleo parked her car at the outset of the beach, and Piper followed her as she strode across the sand. Rikki was missing, and Cleo couldn’t remember anything from the previous night. It wasn’t until Cleo had told her about mentioning the island to Lewis that she truly freaked out. It all seemed so obviously mermaid related, yet nothing had happened to Piper. She could recall every moment of the painfully boring dinner party. And Lewis knew about them now, which would have worried her if Cleo hadn’t insisted it was okay. She said Lewis had gone home for now, but that they would have to explain things to him eventually.

            They made it to the island in record time, surfacing in the cool dark of the cave. They saw Rikki at the same time. She was sprawled across the stone floor, wearing a tattered shirt and nothing else, completely unconscious. Cleo lunged out of the water, resting on her hips and reaching out for the blonde’s ankle.

            “Rikki! Rikki!” She shook her leg violently, and Rikki began to stir. She opened her eyes slowly.

           


	4. Unrest

            “I can’t believe Lewis knows.” Rikki complained, not for the first time. Cleo shot her yet another icy glare. She knew Rikki understood that it wasn’t her fault, and that she just enjoyed being obstinate, but it was getting old. Lewis paced around his bedroom, muttering under his breath. He had gotten over the shock of his best friend being a mermaid relatively quickly, in favor of the mystery they were now facing. Typical. He came to a stop in front of the bed, where they were all sitting.

            “Well, I think something must have triggered these events.”

            “No shit.”

            “Rikki!”

            Lewis continued without comment, “A trigger that Cleo and Rikki were introduced to, but not Piper. Of course, this sort of thing is impossible to hypothesize on without a background of medical research to refer to.”

            “What if I was introduced to it, but nothing has happened yet? I could go crazy any second!” Piper huffed from her spot on the floor. When she moved, her hair brushed against Cleo’s feet, and the smell of cherries distracted her from what Lewis was saying. She felt restless, unable to concentrate on anything but the girl in front of her. When she tuned back in, he was looking at Rikki.

            “What’s the last thing you remember?”

            “Walking outside to meet you.”

            He stood on the spot for a moment, eyes blank, then clapped his hands together.

            “It was cloudy!” He looked at them with a big grin.

            “Is that supposed to mean something?” Piper cocked her head to the side. She looked up at Cleo. “Or does he always talk in riddles?” Cleo stuck her tongue out.

            “No, look,” he said, “It was cloudy last night. Cleo was out with me, and Rikki was outside as well. I remember a break in the cloud cover, because it helped me loop a lure. That’s when Cleo stood up. Rikki must have seen it, too.”

            “You know,” Rikki held up a finger, “That makes sense, Lewis. Of _course_ we were possessed by the moon. Why didn’t _I_ think of that?”

            “I mean, it was a full moon, and you’re _mermaids_. Any correlation is better than nothing.”

            “Give it a chance, Rikki. We need to be prepared if it happens again.” Piper turned to face Rikki full on. “You’re attitude isn’t helping anyone. And it’s not Cleo’s fault Lewis found out, so stop bitching.”

            Rikki jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry, are you the one who blacked out for an entire night? No? Oh, that’s right; you were at a richie rich dinner party in your mansion.”

            “Sod off! You know that’s not the point!”

            “Whatever. This won’t happen again. I’m not doing this mermaid thing anymore if it means sacrificing my life. I’m done.” She stormed out, and the door slammed shut behind her.

           

            The surf was unusually rough, waves crashing far up the beach and barely retreating in time for the next swell. Rikki stood just out of reach of the water, jacket zipped against the wind. The need to be in the ocean, being tossed and turned with the undertow, was stronger than ever. The underside of a wave was a magical thing to behold, and late afternoon was her favorite time of day to slip into the water and disappear for a few hours. Now she felt like an outsider, looking in on a life she wasn’t sure she wanted anymore. Waking up with no memory or inkling of where she was had been the worst experience of her life. It wouldn’t happen again. If that meant never setting foot in the water again, so be it.

            She found herself walking aimlessly, somewhat surprised that she ended up at the tracks. Or maybe she wasn’t so surprised. The rip and roar of the engines pulled her in like the ocean did; an inviting push and pull of noise. Spectators made room for her as she sidled up to the fence, looking down at the colorful spots of color racing around in circles. There were scattered cheers as the rider with the yellow bike hit a ramp, soaring through the air. Rikki recognized that helmet.

            Maybe there were fewer people watching than she thought, because it was clear when Zane noticed her. He waved something to the other bikers and pulled off the track, speeding up a dirt hill and skidding to a stop in front of her. Rikki raised her eyebrows, ready for his next great pick up line. Instead, he pulled off his helmet and just looked at her, eyes wide and serious.

            “Rikki.” His tone was cool.

            “W-what?” People were staring. She felt uncomfortable, unused to being caught off guard. Especially by Zane. The rail dug into her back uncomfortably.

            “I hope you’re here to explain yourself.”

            “I beg your pardon?” He dismounted and led his bike away from the crowd. Rikki followed against her will, eager to hear his explanation.

            “Look,” he continued to walk until they were out of earshot of anyone else, then turned around. “It’s none of my business what you do, but you could have gotten seriously hurt. It’s lucky I was there.”

            She narrowed her eyes, not liking his tone.

            “Care to clue me in as to what you’re talking about?”        

            He set his jaw, looking somewhere above her head, “You don’t have to pretend around me.”

            “I could tell you the same thing. So spit it out.”

            He laughed bitterly, “You don’t remember?”

            It clicked. He was talking about last night. She bit her lip, unsure if she should play dumb and get the hell away from here or try to figure out at least some of what she did. Curiosity won out. She squeezed her eyes shut.

            “Zane, you have to tell me everything that happened.”

            He hesitated. When she opened her eyes, there was a strange mix of emotions on his face. He looked pained. “You ran out into the street in front of my bike. I almost...I could have hurt you.”

            Rikki sucked in a breath, her worst fears confirmed. She had totally lost control and walked into a dangerous situation completely unaware. Panic made her palms sweat.

            “What else? Did I say anything?”

            He threw his arms up incredulously, “I don’t know, some rubbish about swimming. I tried to stop you, but you ran off. You were completely spaced out.” He took a step closer to her, leaning in, “Look, I thought you were smarter than this.”

            “Smarter than what?” She could barely focus on the conversation at hand. Panic was making her brain short circuit.

            “Drugs, Rikki. What exactly were you on?”

            Rikki bristled, momentarily speechless. Zane pressed on, “I can get you help if you need it. It’s no trouble, really.”

            Rikki held up a hand, “Wait. You think I’m on _drugs_?” It came out as a statement, hard and sharp.

            “It was pretty obvious.”

            “I don’t do drugs, you arse.” _I was possibly possessed by the moon. Duh._ But she couldn’t tell him the truth. He just looked at her with that smug expression she hated so much.

            “Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes and, hey, that was her move! A wave of anger nearly knocked her over. It came from nowhere, but made her vision turn red nonetheless.

            “Fuck you, Zane,” she bit out. It sat between them like gunfire.

            His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, and Rikki wondered if he was going to hit her. It wouldn’t be the first time she had provoked someone to do it. The distance between them was nonexistent at this point as Zane loomed over her. Her hand clenched into a fist and she readied herself for a fight. Tension crackled in the air.

             It was impossible to tell who moved first, but the next instant brought their lips crashing together. Strong hands gripped her, one at her arm and the other around her waist, pulling her close. He kissed her with bruising force, a force that she matched equally. The sensation was overwhelming in the wake of her rage, and she was afraid she might get lost in it. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Zane Bennet was kissing her, and she was kissing him back. The kiss was all biting teeth and hot tongue right now, but she could imagine it being softer. She could imagine Zane behind closed doors, without the bravado, without the money. Rikki placed a hand on the side of his neck tentatively, feeling white hot anger change into something softer, something like enjoyment.

            Zane jumped back with a gasp, holding her at arm’s length. Her hand was pulled away from his neck and fell limply at her side. He stared at her, breathing heavily, for a long moment.

            “I knew it,” he whispered. She shook her head, uncomprehending until her eyes fell on the side of his neck her hand had been resting on. An angry red mark was forming there, stark against his skin.

            She had burned him.


	5. Repercussions

            Zane found her at the Juicenet the very next day. She had been avoiding him for as long as possible, but it was only a matter of time until he cornered her at work.

            “Zane, I’m working. I can’t talk.” She scrubbed obstinately at the countertop, which was already spotless.

            “C’mon, Rikki. We need to talk about this.”

            She scrubbed harder.

            “Please.”

            That caught her attention. She had never heard him say that word before. The rag thunked into the sink water when she dropped it.

            “What do you want from me?” Her eyes looked everywhere but at Zane. Obviously, she couldn’t trust herself to be rational and sane around him. And the angry red burn mark on his neck was a painful reminder of what she had done.

            “An explanation.”

            Rikki considered his words, peeling off her rubber gloves. Telling him the truth was out of the question. Yet, for whatever reason, she couldn’t leave him with nothing. She opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it shut as Nate grabbed Zane’s shoulder, handing him a helmet.

            “Time to go, mate.” He looked at Rikki and winked. “Hey Rikki, how much do _I_ have to tip for a snog, eh?”

            Zane turned and shoved him, hard.

            “Hey! What the fuck, man?”

            “Prick. Why do I tell you anything?” Rikki was frozen in place. “Rikki, don’t listen to him, he’s an idiot.”

            “Save it.” Pressure started to build behind her eyes. Hurt swelled inside and she knew her emotions were out of control again, and her powers were sure to follow. Everything seemed to turn on a dime around Zane. The next second could bring either tears or spontaneous combustion. “Just leave me alone.” Steam rose from the sink as the water began to boil. She needed to get to the cooler, fast.

            “Rikki-“

            “Please.”

            The heavy door closed behind her with a snap and she felt herself break. The emotions coursing through her felt both like her own and someone else’s. It wasn’t like her to be so out of control. She turned and hit her hands against the ice-covered cooler wall repeatedly.

            Used. She felt used. And stupid. Zane was a spoiled rich kid, and he always would be. He had used her. For what? A good story? A passion project to entertain himself with? Something to tell his friends so they could all have a good laugh. Ha, ha. Ice began to crack and melt where her skin touched it. She dug her fingers into it, burning through it like butter. It was cathartic. The fire inside her burned hotter and hotter, escaping through her fingers, feet, forehead. Beads of sweat formed on her hairline.

            Searching fingers moved upward of their own accord, and an entire section of ice slid off of the wall, nearly five feet across. She snapped out of her trance with a gasp, falling backward. The ice sat in a snowy pile next to the door, and where her fingers had hit solid steel, there were ten dark black marks, still smoking slightly in the freezing room.

           

            Cleo rolled over on Piper’s luxurious bed. It was huge, as was the rest of the room. She had her own window nook overlooking the bay, a full television set at the far end of the room, and her own bathroom. Her comforter was a silky red, with a multitude of matching pillows.

            Her sudden movement jostled the precarious position of Piper’s laptop on her knee, and it fell to the side. All she got was a stern look. She sighed. It was pointless to try and distract Piper when she was doing schoolwork. Her last exam was the following day, and it was taking up all her focus. She wouldn’t even go swimming until her notes had been copied meticulously after school every day.

            Cleo was antsy. She stood and crossed to the enormous window. The night sky was clear, and every wave sparkled invitingly under the waning moon. The need to be in the water was overpowering. Restless energy seemed to be pooling in her stomach.

            “Pipes.”

            “Hmmm?”

            “What are we going to do on the next full moon?”

            “Lock ourselves inside all night, I suppose.”

            “That could be fun.” Cleo traced her finger down a corner of the wall, thinking. “Without exams to worry about, you can give me your full attention.”

            _What?_ She struggled to understand where that had come from. Piper looked up at her, eyes wide.

            “What did you just say?”

            Cleo sat on the window seat and fell back on her elbows, looking outside. _Play it cool._

            “Just that I wish we were out there,” gesturing vaguely toward the ocean, she crossed her legs. “It’s been days since you went swimming with me.” Her voice had dropped an octave of its own accord, and she felt only slightly like she was having an out of body experience. Something was giving her unprecedented confidence tonight.

            Piper looked dumbstruck. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.

            “Maybe I’ll just go and wait for you to finish your work.” Cleo stood and kicked off her shoes.

            That did it. “Wait!” Piper slammed her computer shut and scrambled off the bed. Cleo smiled and took her hand.

            Piper’s parents were out, as they usually were. They worked very late during the week and threw parties every weekend. It was like being friends with Gatsby. The grass was cool on her feet as they walked side by side to the water. She wished Rikki were here, but she understood better than anyone that she would come back on her own time.

            Cleo tugged her hand back as they arrived at the waterline. God knows what possessed her to do so (the moon?), but she stared into Piper’s eyes as she pulled her dress over her head. It fell to the sand with a hushed rustle. Piper looked terrified, and Cleo was becoming frustrated. What was taking her so long? Did she not want Cleo? The charged moments and longing looks between them said otherwise.

            Slowly, Piper followed, and there they were. Facing the ocean, hand in hand. The moon watched over their naked bodies like a guardian against the night. Cleo felt energy swelling within her once more, as though the ocean was calling out to her. Something had drastically changed wince the full moon, and Cleo felt as though part of her knew what that was.

            Her body and the ocean worked together as she raised her free hand to the water. Piper gasped when the glittering blackness parted in a swell of energy.

            “Cleo, how are you doing that?”

            _I don’t know,_ Cleo thought, but she couldn’t speak. She had never attempted anything this immense. The ocean watched with silent recognition as the two girls stepped over the threshold, passing over damp sand as dark water swirled around them, closing the path as they walked.

            The water level was over their heads where they stood, in a small dry patch. Piper put a hand on her cheek and drew Cleo to face her. The moonlight bathed her in blue light, strands of hair drifting over her face in the light breeze. There was a question there, somewhere in the deep brown of her eyes. She didn’t speak again. This wasn’t the place for questions, or wasting time. They were in the midst of something bigger than just them, bigger than words. For the first time, Cleo felt like a magical being. “Human” no longer defined her. Right now, she was the ocean, and the ocean was her.

            When Piper kissed Cleo, there was silence. The roar of rushing water above and round them quieted to a whisper. Cleo felt soft lips on her own, desperate and withholding all at once. She felt delicate hands close around her back. Each movement of the ocean resonated within her skull in a sensation that was not sound or thought. It was something ancient and tremendous. She relinquished control, dropping her hand to hold Piper tight as the tide rushed in around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh! We're starting to see the girls lose control of their powers. Don't worry, Piper will get her chance.  
> Can I just say that I love Rikki and Zane??  
> Anyway, happy Mermay.


	6. Like the Tide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while on this chapter, I'm crazy busy. Next chapter will probably be up this week, if we're being hopeful. Enjoy :-)

           Something was wrong with Cleo, that much was obvious. Piper watched her sleep, face lit by the early morning light. Right now, she looked normal. Normal, sleepy Cleo. This was the girl Piper knew, and liked. Whoever that had been last night… was someone else entirely. Last night, Piper had been scared. She didn’t know it was possible to be so terrified and in awe of someone at the same time.

            It had been a long night. After Cleo had kissed her (which- _whoa_!), she had mostly just wanted to swim around the reef. Piper followed, scared that if she left her alone, something bad might happen. Cleo refused to come back to land until almost two in the morning. Every time Piper tried to talk to her, she would just shake her head and dive back under. She certainly didn’t kiss her again.

            Cleo stirred, rolling away from Piper’s calculating gaze.

            “I can feel you staring.”

            A guilty blush spread across Piper’s cheeks, “Sorry.”

            The sheets rustled as the other girl sat up, looking around groggily.

            Piper couldn’t wait any longer. “How do you feel?”

            A slow blink. “What?”

            “Are you feeling okay? Do you remember last night.”

            “Of course I do,” she looked into the distance and frowned, “I mean, we went swimming and…” She looked at Piper strangely. “I remember it, but it’s foggy.”

            “Do you remember what you did?” She pictured again what Cleo had done with the water, and couldn’t help but feel jealous. The most she could do was make ice cubes and cool her tea.

            “Oh,” Cleo’s eyes widened, and a blush crept over her cheek. “I- we… I kissed you. I remember that.”

            “Not that, I meant what you did with your powers.” But oh, boy did she want to talk about the kiss.

            “I don’t know, Pipes.” She pushed the blankets off of her. “I can’t explain it. Something was just…different.”

            “Is it a moon thing?”

            “I suppose.” She reached out and took Piper’s hand, turning it over thoughtfully. It was pretty normal for them to be touchy with each other, but the movement still took Piper by surprise. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

            Piper relished in the feel of fingers brushing across her hand. Cleo was looking at their hands, thoughtful.

            “What’s wrong?” she asked, still looking down. She wound their fingers together.

            “I’m thinking about you. Last night. Wondering when weird stuff will start happening to me.”

            “Hopefully never.” Cleo looked up with dark eyes. Her hair curled around her face, mussed from sleep. Piper really wanted to kiss her again.

            “Tell me something.” Cleo pulled their hands toward herself, forcing Piper to lean in. “Did I freak you out, um, with the kiss?”

            “Believe it or not, that was the _least_ scary thing that happened.”

            “So you…want this? I-I mean you like-?” Piper cut her off, giving in and pressing their lips together. Cleo responded slowly, moving her lips hesitantly. Piper was about to pull back, fearing she had made a mistake, when a hand wound through her hair and held her in place. Soft lips moved purposefully against hers, and when Cleo moaned quietly, Piper wondered if she was dreaming. This was too good.

            Cleo pulled back too soon, smiling softly.

            “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

            _So have I,_ Piper thought, but instead she leaned in for another kiss.

            At that exact moment, the bedroom door flew open with a bang. She jumped back quickly, thinking it was one of her parents (who were supposed to be at work). Instead, Rikki stood in the doorway, panting.

            “Rikki?” Cleo jumped off of the bed, wiping her hands on her sides. She gave Piper a worried glance.

            “Did you run here?” Piper asked, standing up. Annoyance pricked up in her tone and she tried to tamp it down. It’s not like Rikki knew what she had just interrupted (hopefully).

            Rikki offered her a weak glare. She looked too tired to be standing, let alone running. Beads of sweat glinted at her hairline.

            “Something’s wrong.”

            Piper took another step toward her. Upon closer inspection, she looked terrible. There was a sheen of sweat over her face, which was an unhealthy shade of red. Dark circles hung under her eyes, hair limp on her head.

            Cleo seemed to notice it too. She paled and rushed over to Rikki.

            “Oh, god what’s happened to you?” Rikki backed away like a scared animal, shaking her head.

            “You can’t touch me. I-I’m burning.”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “I’m _burning up_ ,” she cried. Her hands came up to either side of her head. “From the inside out. It won’t _stop_!”

            “What? Rikki, tell me what to do!” Cleo looked on the verge of tears now. “We need to take you to the hospital!”

            “Are you crazy?” Rikki swallowed thickly, swiping her hand across her forehead. “That won’t work.”

            “Maybe I can help,” Piper offered, taking a step forward. She held her hands up awkwardly, reaching toward Rikki’s head. The blonde shut her eyes and said nothing.

            Piper could feel heat coming off Rikki in waves even a foot away from her. She tried to focus on cooling her hands as much as possible, but the closer she got to Rikki’s skin, the hotter it became. It was like touching an oven, and Piper’s hands only reached her skin for a brief second before she pulled away with a hiss.

            “I can’t – you’re too hot!”

            “Oh, god, oh god oh god…” Cleo paced in a circle.

            “I need it to stop,” Rikki moaned. Her eyes trailed to the window, struggling to focus. She seemed to come to some sort of decision, setting her saw and standing straight. When she turned and walked back through the door, Piper and Cleo followed.

 

            Cleo walked just a pace behind Rikki, ready to catch her if she collapsed suddenly. She was terrified, and a little unsure of what all of this meant. Why weren’t these things happening to her, if they were both exposed to the full moon?

            Rikki stopped at the edge of the sand, balling her hands into fists.

            “Rikki?” Piper asked hesitantly.

            “I didn’t want to come back. I wanted this to be over.” She shrugged, “But I guess I’d rather not die.” She set one foot in the water.

            Cleo gasped as steam erupted around her foot, rising in to the air like an instant sauna. Another foot followed, and then Rikki was wading into the water, up to her waist… on two legs.

            “It’s not working!” She said, shriller than Cleo had ever heard her. Her face was stricken as turned to face them. The steam was thick and almost obscured her completely from sight. A piller of it rose toward the sky, easily visible if anyone was looking. Cleo’s head spun, attempting to understand what she was seeing. No human could be so hot water evaporated instantaneously…right? Panic spiked, and she twisted her hand, holding the steam in place so it moved outward instead of up.

            “Piper, do something,” Cleo said, gesturing wildly. Piper looked at her with wide eyes. “She’s burning up. Try to cool the water.”

            “Okay…” She scrunched up her face and held out a hand. Nothing happened for a moment, and then the heinous hissing sound stopped. Rikki fell beneath the surface of the water.

            “Did it work?” Piper twined her hands together nervously, eyes wide. “Did I do it?”

            Cleo shrugged, scanning the water for any sign of Rikki. The smokey steam rapidly dispersed. After a moment, she broke the surface again, gasping.

            “Are you okay?” Cleo called, looking around nervously. The grassy knolls around the bay were empty and quiet, the many big houses looked at them with blank windows. The silence was interrupted only by the chirping of birds.

            Rikki began to swim toward the shore, looking tired but better. The red flush had gone from her cheeks but the dark circles hung under her eyes. Piper and Cleo helped pull her onto the grass.

            “Thanks.” She said shortly. Steam rose from her dress and tail as she held out a hand.

            “Do you feel better?”

            Rikki sighed, “Yes. As soon as I turned, it was fine.” She stood, dress falling around her knees. “I’m sorry I came here. I just…thought there might be another way.” Her back was to both of them.

            “I did my best,” Piper said, “I’m sorry.”

            “It’s not your fault. I just…” she closed her eyes, and Cleo thought she might be crying. “I don’t know if I want this anymore. It’s too much.”

            Guilt sat heavy in Cleo’s stomach. She hadn’t spoken to Rikki since their fight the day before. Maybe if she had reached out to her before now… but Cleo had been dealing with weird stuff last night, too. Somewhat. She put a hand on Rikki’s shoulder.

            “I’m here for you, Rik. We both are.”

            “I know that. But you don’t get it.” She sniffed and turned around. Her smile was forced. “I appreciate everything, but I think I need to go home and sleep. I didn’t catch a wink last night.” Cleo tried to return her smile, and failed.

            “Why is she mad  at us?” Piper asked when Rikki was gone. They were sat on one of the huge couches in Piper’s living room, a movie playing quietly in the background.

            “I don’t think she is,” Cleo shifted, pulling her legs out from under her to stretch. “When she’s ready to talk, she’ll talk.”

            “Are you sure?”

            _No_ , Cleo thought. She wasn’t. Not this time. She chewed a nail worriedly. Everything seemed so… unclear. The full moon caused their powers to grow exponentially stronger, and those powers were also beginning to manifest in strange ways. It made sense, relatively speaking, that if Rikki’s powers were becoming so much stronger she would lose control of her body temperature and heat all the water around her. For Cleo… it seemed less clean cut. She was better at controlling large amounts of water, but that seemed to be it.

            “Cleo? What are you thinking about?” Piper eyed her from across the couch, breaking her out of her reverie.

            “I don’t even know. Everything.”

            She nodded, “Me too.” Her eyes dropped to Cleo’s lips, and Cleo licked them unconsciously. They were alone once again, and Cleo felt unsure and nervous. Piper didn’t seem mad about what had happened, but what if she changed her mind, seeing how Rikki was being affected?

            Piper coughed and stood, running a hand through her hair.

            “Breakfast?”

            Cleo suddenly realized she was starving, and nodded fervently.

            “Cool, I’ll make eggs.” Instead of moving toward the kitchen, Piper swooped down and her lips were on Cleo’s. It was short and chaste, but managed to soothe Cleo’s fears and make her heart race at the same time. She pulled away far too soon.

            “Scrambled or fried?”

 

            Rikki surfaced underneath the docks, blinking furiously. Waves buffeted her toward the shore, and she had to kick her tail repeatedly to keep herself in place. The wooden slats above her head creaked underneath heavy footsteps, muted conversation finding its way through the cracks, echoing in the small space and making the voices sound far away. Bright yellow stripes of light shone through the wood, stark against the black water. Rikki hovered just outside of one of them, looking up.

            It was unusually busy for such a late hour, one of the fishing boats must be getting back late.  She would have to find somewhere else to dry off. All sounds of human life vanished as she ducked under the water. Only the slightest hint of yellow light found its way below the surface, quickly turning to shades of black and blue.

            Not much had changed in the week following the full moon incident. Rikki was still upset with the fact she had to deal with this uncontrollable power. If she didn’t transform at least twice a day, the gnawing heat would come back, slowly but surely. It was a constant reminder that she was no longer in control of her life, her powers, or even her own body.

            It had also become a very lonely lifestyle. Piper and Cleo just didn’t understand, and they were just being plain weird recently. Even Zane had appeared to take her advice and buggered off for good. She hadn’t seen him in almost a week. Which was fine, it’s not like she wanted to see him anyway. Prick.

            The moon hung low in the sky as she stood. It made her feel restless. She decided it was too early to turn in, putting in earbuds and playing quiet music as she walked along the beach.

            Melancholy music for a melancholy night. Sure, it was dramatic, but who cares if she chose to wallow in it for a moment? She was walking along the private beaches now, yellow lights shining out over the sand.  Small waves broke just next to her feet as she hugged the waterline, not wanting to attract attention to herself. Not that anyone was outside, anyway.

            Which is why she jumped almost out of her skin when a hand closed over her shoulder.

            “Christ!” She ripped her headphones out and turned around, hand over her heart. It was…Zane. She breathed heavily, debating on if she preferred Zane over a serial killer or not.

            “Sorry,” He said. “I called your name but you didn’t answer.”

            “Headphones,” She said, holding them up.

            “Right. Sorry.” He shoved his hands in his pocket. “I was sitting on the porch and…”

            Rikki looked up, taking in her surroundings for the first time.

            “This is your _house?_ ” The white monstrosity loomed over them from its spot on the hill, three floors marked by dark windows made it look lifeless, bleached dead in the moonlight.

            He nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. “What are you doing here?”

            _Good question_ , she thought bitterly. She just looked out over the water, squinting against a strong breeze. Was she really so lonely she needed to seek out the one person who was guaranteed to fuck her over again? She sighed, deciding that yes, a serial killer would have been better.

            “I _was_ walking.”

            “Uh, look, I’m glad you’re here, actually. I… want to apologize.” He was the one staring at the water now. The smile was gone. Rikki cocked her head, not following his thought process. “I’m sorry. For everything. I never should have told Nate what…what happened.”

            Rikki blinked. The only thing he could possibly be sorry about was….oh. Her stomach turned.

            “You told him. You told him I burned you.” And that was _definitely_ an admission, wasn’t it? She bit her lip, almost wishing she could take back her words.

            “Wha- no! No, that was the last thing on my mind.” He chuckled slightly, and when she looked at him the laugh turned into a cough as he tried to cover it up.

            “What do you mean?” He must have had so many other things going on, so many girls to string along, that he hadn’t been worried about Rikki at all. Kissing her had meant nothing, just as she thought. She was so lost in her thoughts she almost didn’t hear his answer.

            “Well, I was the most excited about…the other thing.”

            “Other thing?’

            “Rikki, the kiss. I was excited that…we kissed.” He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

            “The…kiss.”

            “Well, yeah. I thought that was obvious.”

            She pursed her lips, deciding that he was an insane person.

            “So you didn’t tell him about…” She waved toward his neck. He just shook his head, eyes far too serious. Rikki had never seen him like this, quiet and serious. It was off putting and comforting at the same time.

            “I can’t explain everything to you.” Allowing this conversation to continue was a mistake, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

            He looked at her quizzically. “Why not?”

            “I don’t know if I can trust you.” _You’ve never given me a reason to. But it would be really, really nice._

            He frowned, and she got the impression he wasn’t used to being told no. It wasn’t the first time. He rocked on his heels for a minute, clearly wanting to ask more questions. But he didn’t.

            “Okay, fine. I’ll make you trust me.”

            She laughed lightly, “That’s not how trust works.”

            “Hey, I’m just glad you’re talking to me again,” he quipped, raising his hands in surrender.

            “Who says I am?” She landed a soft punch to his arm. It was meant to be playful, but the way he jerked backward was anything but. His hand flew to his bicep and he looked at her with wide eyes for a split second. Rikki stood there, fist in the air, feeling left behind in the sudden mood shift. “What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing.” He said, back to careful composure. Rikki felt left behind in the sudden mood shift.

            “I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be.” Tension hung between them like a heavy curtain. Rikki crossed her arms, then uncrossed them.

            “Why are you outside, anyway. It’s late.”

            He shrugged, “Needed a minute alone.”

            “Me too.” She felt the need to say something. Maybe apologize again. For what, though, she didn’t know.

            “Care to sit?” He nodded toward the bottom steps of the wooden staircase that descended from the main house. Rikki nodded, and when they were sat next to each other he caught her hand, winding their fingers together. It was surprisingly nice. To think she had just been cursing him mentally only twenty minutes ago.

            The breeze was salty, and the moon watched them, as it always did on the Gold Coast. Zane kept a careful distance between them, but his hand was warm. Something tugged at her mind, and she thought for a second that maybe she wasn’t the only one keeping secrets here. Maybe Zane Bennett had a few of his own.


	7. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only finished this chapter because I've been in a car for ten hours, and i actually decided to split it into two parts. I'll post the other half soon.

           More kissing. Cleo sighed from where she was pinned beneath Piper’s body, sandwiched between her and luxurious sheets. A wet mouth was currently suctioned to Cleo’s collarbone, leaving her free to plot her next move. All week, things had been…well, amazing. Incredible. The best thing that had ever happened to her. They simply couldn’t get enough of each other, and every day had been a mixture of lazy cuddling, swimming, or heated make out sessions that were great, but led to nothing.

            It was slightly worrying that Piper never took anything farther than just kissing, and Cleo was prone to overthinking. Neck kisses were one of the last things Piper would allow before pulling away and making up some excuse for doing something else, so she had to act fast.

            Planting her foot on the mattress, she gripped the smaller girl’s hips and flipped them over, settling on top. Shocked brown eyes looked up at her.

            “Cleo- “She stopped her with her mouth, kissing her with all the frustration that had built up over the past few days. She pushed one of her thighs between Piper’s, and pushed her hands back, pinning them above their heads. Piper gasped into her mouth. She tried to say something, but Cleo ignored her, choosing instead to release one of her hands to run it up Piper’s stomach and cup one of her breasts, earning another gasp, this one sounding more like a moan.

            She kissed Cleo back for another short moment, biting down on her lower lip in a way that made Cleo see stars. Then a hand gripped Cleo’s wrist, stopping her. When Cleo opened her eyes, she was looking at her with a mixture of lust and stern resolution.

            “Cleo. Slow down.”

            Cleo huffed, holding her hands up in surrender and rolling until she was face down on the bed as far as the mattress would allow. She wanted to cry. Rejection sat heavy in her stomach and made her feel pathetic. Unwanted. Panic swelled at her tear ducts, and she willed it to go away.

            “Cleo?” The bed shifted and there was a hand on her back. “What’s wrong?”

            When she received no answer, Piper sighed and pulled at Cleo’s shoulder until she was face up, “Talk to me! I said slow down, not stop forever!” She took in the tears forming on Cleo’s face and sucked in a breath. “What did I say? Come on,” she grabbed one of Cleo’s hands and pressed it back to her breast, “Please don’t cry!”

            Cleo laughed against her will, pulling her hand away. “I just don’t get it.”

            “What?” Piper’s face smoothed over, the way it did when she didn’t want to show her emotions. She was a lot like Rikki, in that regard.

            “I don’t understand why you- you-“ she took a steadying breath, “Why you don’t want… _me._ ”

            It was clear that Piper either didn’t understand her or was very good at playing dumb. She raised her eyebrows.

            “You think I _don’t want you?_ ” Her thumb stopped its circular motion on Cleo’s wrist, and Cleo shrugged, looking up at the ceiling and trying to hold back a blush. She didn’t know what to say, what Piper wanted her to say. The other girl looked at her expectantly, question hanging between them.

            “Cleo…” she placed a hand on Cleo’s cheek, pulling her face to force her to make eye contact. “What are you talking about?”

            Cleo sat up on her hands, “We’ve been having fun this past week, and I’m really, really enjoying it, but… Any time I try to move things along, you stop me. I’m just wondering why.”

            Piper didn’t answer. She just looked down, brow furrowed. Cleo felt dread pool in her stomach, and bit her lip. Why couldn’t she just be happy with what they had? Now Piper was going to call it all off.

            Instead, she just swung one bent leg over Cleo’s, moving until she was sitting over her lap, hands resting on her hips. Cleo sucked in a breath, not entirely understanding but distracted nonetheless by the sensation. This didn’t _seem_ like a break up…

            Piper looked up at her calmly, “I want you. Badly.” Her eyes traveled over Cleo’s upper body in a way that was downright indecent. “But I’ve had relationships in the past that didn’t go so well, so I want to take this slow. Is that okay?”

            Cleo blinked, suddenly feeling like the worst person on earth. “Of- of course that’s okay! I just-“ She struggled with words as the smaller girl shifted in her lap, draping her arms over her shoulders and leaning in close. Their lips ghosted against each other. “I, um, I’m sorry I said anything.”

            Piper was so close now that Cleo closed her eyes to keep her from blurring out, and also to try and focus on the conversation at hand.

            “I’m glad you told me,” Piper murmured, and _god,_ did she have to drop her voice like that? “I don’t want there to be any doubt when it comes to how…how much I like you. Like what we have.” Soft lips pressed against the corner of her mouth, so softly Cleo could have imagined it.

            “I’m not doubting. I’m all in.”

            Laughter huffed somewhere underneath her ear, following a finger tracing the lobe. Cleo shivered, frozen in place. This was just unfair. Her whole body felt like it was vibrating, like she was some sort of tuning fork Piper knew _exactly_ how to manipulate. Her mouth felt dry.

            “You have to admit, though, waiting has some advantages.” A hot tongue traced the spot just below her ear, making Cleo groan. More quiet laughter. A chaste press of lips on hers, and the warm weight of the other girl was gone, leaving Cleo cold. “But for now, I need you to help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow.”

            “You’re going to kill me, Pipes.”

 

 

            Rikki shoveled eggs into her mouth desperately. She was always hungry now, even this early in the morning. Maybe that was a mermaid thing. If anyone else in the restaurant thought it was strange that three teenage girls had five full plates of food between them, it didn’t show. Cleo said something she didn’t quite catch.

            She tore her attention away from the wonderful, wonderful eggs, swallowing loudly.

            “What?”

            “Oh my god, Rikki, that’s your fourth plate of eggs, chill with the- hey!” Piper threw a balled up napkin across the table at Rikki as her orange juice began to boil over.

            “What did you say, _Cleo_?” Rikki gave Piper a pointedly sour look.

            “I asked if you wanted to go see a movie or something after lunch.”

            “What, you two aren’t hanging out?” Rikki waved a fork toward the two of them. Cleo shook her head.

            “No. Piper decided to go _golfing_ with her dad today.” She pronounced the word with disgust, and Rikki recalled how Cleo’s dad used to take her golfing every Saturday- even inviting Rikki a few times, forcing her to make an excuse and get the hell out while Cleo made pleading eyes with her from behind Don’s back.

            “I didn’t decide,” Piper explained with exasperation. Clearly, they had already had this conversation without Rikki. She took a sip of her now frosty orange juice. “Dad is trying to make a deal with some property owner or something, and he says it looks better if the whole family is there, since the other guy is bringing his wife and daughter. No choice.” She shrugged.

            “… _Anyway_ ,” Cleo said, earning a shove from Piper, “Do you want to?” She looked at Rikki with wide eyes, making it very hard to say no. Unfortunately, Rikki already had plans. She cleared her throat.

            “Oh, I dunno. I think I have plans with my…dad.” The lie fell off of her lips awkwardly, but the other two didn’t seem to notice. “There’s nothing good out, anyway.” Cleo nodded thoughtfully and asked Piper another question about her golfing trip.

            Her phone buzzed in her lap as the other two continued their bickering. She looked down at the screen as surreptitiously as possible.

            It was a text from Zane. Zane had her number. It was still weird to think about. The previous night had been surreal, and Rikki had woken up thinking it must have been a dream. Until she got a text from him. And another text…and another. She looked down at the one sitting on her screen, still struggling to reconcile everything that had happened.

            _Parents are gone for the weekend. I need to work on the bike before the competition tomorrow…come watch if you want. It’s riveting stuff._

            She blinked, reading it again. Her and Zane had gone from hating each other to… _this_ …in a matter of one night? Last night had been quiet and, Christ, _sweet_ , Rikki thought with disgust, but also new. Now he was inviting her over like they had been friends for years?

            Later, she followed his directions in her car, remarking that this way was much longer and more complicated than just walking down the beaches. Her brain was spinning. First, she got freaky, inconvenient mermaid powers, and now she was hanging out at the Bennet’s house?

            _Fucking bizarre, is what it is._

The houses got bigger, and more expansive, and the street names got more pretentious. ‘Dolphin’s Beak Lane’, ‘Croquet Circle’, ‘Marmalade Way’ (??), which, _huh?_ Rikki took one last turn onto Sunset Hill (that one was acceptable, she thought), and there it was.

            It was much bigger from the front. Russet brown roofing contrasted against a sandy wall palette, rising for three stories. This lawn put even Piper’s to shame, and as she drove up the paved driveway, a small voice nagged at the back of Rikki’s head. _Why are you here,_ it said, _You know you don’t belong. You know this won’t last._

            “Hush, brain,” she whispered into the car, and how pathetic was that? Nonetheless, she forced the voice to quiet down and tried to breathe as she walked toward the front door. A loud, echoing mechanical bell sounded as she pressed the small button. The door was ornately made with frosted glass, like it would break if she tried to knock. Anxiety heightened when nothing happened. Was she supposed to wait? Or ring again?

            She exhaled as a shadowy figure approached the other side, and it swung open to reveal Zane.

            “Rikki,” he said. He looked happy, but the way he was standing was all wrong. Rikki had never seen him look so… _uncomfortable._ It was so unlike all the swagger he normally projected. When he didn’t say anything else, she raised her eyebrows.

            “Hi.” She stepped past him, shrugging off her nerves in favor of bravado. “So, this is it.”

            “This is it.”

             She walked slowly through the foyer, taking it all in. There was a spiral staircase with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, glittering gold in the early morning sunlight.  Past the staircase was a gigantic sitting room, all plush couches and mahogany coffee tables. Zane trailed behind her, bare feet quiet on the wooden floors. Rikki couldn’t look away from the opulence. It felt more like a museum in there than a house. She looked for signs that a family lived here, but couldn’t seem to find anything. It was all too pristine and shiny. Rikki had to check to make sure her sandals didn’t leave any marks on the floor, a little scared to mess it all up.

            She stopped in the kitchen, or something resembling a kitchen. Who on earth could need so much counter space? Her confidence had officially run out, so she turned around. Zane still looked…nervous? He bounced on his heels subtly, looking at her. Just looking. It was unsettling.

            “What?”

            He gestured to the bay doors looking onto the beach, “The garage is out this way.”

            “I’m right behind you,” she muttered, following him outside, heading toward the building that was smaller than the main house, but still too large to be called a garage. Viewed from the front, it looked like part of the main building.

            “You’re quiet today,” she noted, looking at him sideways. He looked tired.

            “Long night. Some bird kept me up.”

            “Oh, right. How inconsiderate of her,” she grinned in spite of herself, where he couldn’t see. He pushed open the door and flicked on a light, and Rikki really wished he hadn’t. It was another large room, this one only barely furnished, not that that mattered. There were at least six cars parked in the long room, each one looked more expensive in the last. The only one she even kind of recognized was Zane’s, a relatively modest black Shelby Ford Mustang, at the end of the row next to the dirt bike.

            “They’re my dad’s,” Zane explained, “He collects them.”

            “Normal people collect stamps. Not Bentleys.” He gave a small laugh that was mostly an exhale, and pressed a button on the wall. Soft music sprung up around them, sounding hollow against the concrete floor and bare walls.

            _Even their_ garage _has surround sound_ , she thought bitterly.

            “You’re not wrong. At least he could spare one for me to use.” He patted the top of the Mustang affectionately, pulling the passenger door open. _Lucky you,_ Rikki thought, recalling how long she had saved up just to buy her used car. “You can sit here if you want. Don’t have any chairs out here.”

            Rikki vividly recalled seeing Miriam getting into this car after school most days, and for some reason it bothered her.

            “It’s okay, I’ll sit on the floor.” She crossed to the wall and sat, leaning back. Zane didn’t say anything, just dropped to the tarp laid underneath the bike and pulled a tool box open. She watched as he unscrewed the front panel, pulling off the metal. The amount of wires was shocking for something Rikki thought of as little more than a glorified scooter.

            “Can I ask you something?” Zane hummed in response, using a flashlight to examine some wires. “Why don’t you hang out with Miriam anymore?”

            He looked like he was surprised at the question, glancing up at her with raised eyebrows. She blinked as the flashlight shone directly at her face. He clicked it off. “Sorry. Uh, I dunno. Miriam’s a bit… much. Sometimes. I guess.”

            “Only sometimes?”

            “A lot of the time,” he admitted, smiling softly. It was a nice smile. Without the bravado and attitude, Zane could be quite nice to be around. He went back to working quietly, and Rikki rested her head on the wall. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but she found herself nodding off. After all, she had been dragged out of her bed much earlier than she would have liked to go get breakfast, and now she was full of said breakfast. Hence the sleepiness.

            “Can I ask you a question?” He spoke quietly, but it jarred her awake anyway. He switched a screwdriver for some pliers. Rikki nodded hesitantly. She had already made it clear she didn’t want to talk about…certain things.

            “Do you want something to drink?”

            It caught her off guard, and she bit back a smile. The rest of the morning passed like this, music playing over the sounds of Zane tearing the bike apart and putting it back together again. Rikki recognized some of it, having worked on her dad’s motorcycle before. But mostly she dozed against the wall, humming in tune when a song she knew came on.

            She opened her eyes when the toolbox slammed shut. The light was coming in at a different angle through the windows, and the bike was put together again. Zane moved suddenly, locking the box and sliding it back against the wall opposite her. She got the distinct impression that he had been staring at her the moment before.

            “What time is it?”

            “Nearly noon. I’m done with the bike now. I need to shower, then I’m taking it out. You were sleeping.” He watched her as she stood, stretching against her aching back. Sitting on concrete for an hour wasn’t her best idea.

            “A bit, yeah.”

            “You look tired. You can go home, if you want.”

            Rikki shrugged, “If you want me to.” She didn’t know what was she was saying, really. She must have exhaustion, she thought, because he was clearly trying to get her to leave, right?

            “I- you can stay. I need to take a shower, though. Do you…want to see my room?”

            Rikki nodded, and his shoulders subtly sagged with relief, which was weird. She followed him back into the house, wondering why she was doing this. Bad idea, really, going to a guy’s room on their first…       

            _This is not a date,_ she scolded herself. All of this was happening on a trial basis, anyway, as she waited to see if this nice guy act was genuine or not. People didn’t just change for no reason, in her experience. He wiped sweat off of his face as they walked, and Rikki briefly wondered why he chose a heavy long sleeve tee on such a hot day.

            Up the spiral staircase they went, and Rikki’s sandals clacked loudly on the wood. There was _another_ sitting room at the top of the stairs, but Zane didn’t stop until they were at the end of the hall, opening the door there hesitantly.

            It was…big. To say the least. Rikki thought of her own twin bed shoved in the corner of her small room as she gazed at the king sized one displayed against one wall. A wooden desk sat underneath a window, cluttered with papers and other miscellany. Band posters hung on the walls, and there was a smattering of clothes hanging off of a large blue couch. It was surprisingly normal. She felt his eyes on her as she looked around.

            “Zane, you have _got_ to stop staring at me. What, have you never had a girl up here before?” She smirked, meaning it to be rhetorical, but Zane just pressed his lips together.  

            “I’ll be back in a minute, the tv remote is on the bed.” He retreated down the hallway, and Rikki didn’t move until she heard water running. The huge television screen watched her judgmentally as she walked slowly around the room, taking it all in. The desk was cluttered, the clean laundry needed to be folded, but overall it was sparsely decorated. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly was so odd about it, but it didn’t matter; her attention moved to the bed as she really took it in. It was carefully made up with a deep blue material that whispered under Rikki’s touch. Satin, then. The remote sat atop one of the pillows, and she sat on the edge of the bed to reach over and grab it.

            “Holy shit,” she said, at full volume. She clapped a hand over her mouth, then remembered that there was no one around to hear her. It was just so…incredible. Of all the things she had seen in this house, the bed was by far the best. Rich people really know how to sleep.

            Instinct told her not to, but she sunk backward anyway, kicking off her sandals and resting her head on a soft pillow. It was like her whole body relaxed at once; she exhaled slowly. Against her will, her eyes began to droop again, remote forgotten beside her.

            Some time must have passed, because before she knew it someone at the doorway coughed. She shot up, humiliated and groggy. Zane was staring at her with wide eyes, looking almost scared.

            “I’m sorry. This is weird.” She made to get up, but he held up a hand.

            “You’re fine,” the terrified expression had left somewhat, and now he just pulled the towel from around his neck, running a hand through still wet hair. He hung the towel on the edge of the desk and sat on the edge of the bed nearest the door, grabbing the remote. His fingers brushed against Rikki’s thigh as he did so, and she felt a shiver move up her spine. She watched him, taking in the damp hair and flushed cheeks. _He probably is just flushed from a hot shower,_ she told herself. It was the only explanation. He was wearing a different long sleeve tee.

            He pulled one leg up, flipping through different channels, and Rikki relaxed, dropping her head back onto a pillow. He decided on a surfing competition that was taking place nearby. Rikki thought about how nice that would be to watch from below the waves.

            He lay down next to her eventually, leaving a respectable amount of space. When the show cut to commercial, he rolled to his side. Rikki was wafted with the scent of soap and a hint of cologne.

            “The answer is no.”

            She copied him pulling the pillow with her. “What?”

            “You asked if I’ve had a girl up here. I never have.”

            Rikki blinked, “Liar.”

            He just shook his head, watching her reaction. She bit one lip, thinking.

            “What about Miriam?”

            He wrinkled a nose. “Why do you keep asking about her?”

            “She _is_ \- was- your girlfriend, no?”

            He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “No. She just tells people that,” he mumbled.

            Rikki narrowed her eyes. “You’re always together.” Even as she said it, though, she realized it had been quite some time since she had seen Miriam slinking around with Zane.

            “That’s just what’s easiest. Our dads are friends, and it looks good when we show up to events together. I never really thought about it.”

            Rikki digested that, deciding that it actually made sense. Something like relief swept through her, and also a little bit of trepidation. Miriam was a blueblood, however she acted at school, and Rikki wasn’t. Quite the opposite, actually.

            “Shame, I’d rather have her hanging around than Nate.” It was untrue, but he grinned. Silence lapsed as he looked at the tv. Rikki felt herself drifting off.

            “What are you thinking about?” He spoked quietly, like she might already be asleep.

            “Wondering if this is the real Zane, or if you’re just pretending to be normal to reel me in,” she told him honestly.

            He snorted, “I don’t think anyone would be dumb enough to try to reel you in.”

            “I don’t know what you mean by that.”

            “You’re too smart for it. And too cynical.”

            Rikki sensed that was in some way an insult, but she was too tired to make sense of it. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

            He didn’t say anything, and when she cracked her eyes open (when had she shut them?), he was staring at the ceiling, contemplative.

            “Zane?” Her voice worked hard to form the right syllables. She was so tired, and comfortable, and warm, and why was he still so far away from her? She wanted him to hold her like he had in the woods that day, when she had been to feverish and crazy to fully appreciate what was happening. She wanted to ask him, but was too close to sleep to form such a long sentence.

            He turned his head, looking at her, “Rikki?”

            “So far, you’re different than I thought you’d be.”

            He grinned, “You’re exactly how I thought you’d be.”

            “Hey!” She feigned indignation and reached over to slap his arm. Halfway through the motion, though, she remembered his reaction the night before and her hand fell to the mattress unceremoniously. She really needed to stop hitting people. “You think about me?”

            He shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes.” He brought his hand up to hers, intertwining their fingers. “Hard not to. You were always really mean to me.”

            Rikki hummed, already slipping back into sleep, “I’ll think of a response to that when I wake up.”          

            He said something else, but she didn’t catch it, already asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah I love writing Rikki and Zane so much!   
> Piper is an oc, so its a little harder, but I hope you all like the chemistry between her and Cleo. As always, I appreciate feedback, so don't be afraid to comment.  
> XOXO


	8. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two, as promised! This actually ended up being pretty long...I have an editing problem.   
> Just a warning: there are hints of abuse in this chapter and coming chapters so prepare accordingly. Nothing explicitly abusive is going to happen, just mentions of things that happen off-screen, so to speak. Enjoy!

           Cleo had sat around her house all day, bored out of her mind. Piper was busy with her parents at the golf course, and Rikki had been ignoring her texts. The only thing that forced her out of bed was the arrival of three of Kim’s friends, who were so supremely obnoxious Cleo had to either leave or turn herself in for triple homicide.

            The ocean proved quieter, and much easier to control. After many careful attempts, Cleo had honed the ability to create a strong current immediately around her body, shooting her through the water even faster than she could swim. Much to Piper’s jealousy. The other girl could still only do simple things with her powers. Cleo didn’t know if that was due to lack of concentration or her missing out on the moon spell. Coral and fish glittered radiantly underneath shifting sunbeams, but even that couldn’t hold her attention today. The land beneath her dropped off sharply and she realized she was much farther out than usual.

            It wasn’t something you got used to. Out here, sunlight only traveled so far before the depths of the ocean swallowed it hole, creating a black abyss. Cleo, even with the added few feet her tail gave her, felt incredibly small as she shot just below the surface of the water. A speedboat passed over, and she was forced to move deeper. If she looked down for too long, her mind created shapes way down in the darkness, tremendous and sinister. She shivered and moved to the surface as soon as possible.

            _I must be close,_ she thought to herself as land picked back up. She kept going. Dark ocean floor turned into colorful, vibrant reefs and with the imagery came a sort of nameless pull in the pit of her stomach. It was unlike anything else, and she didn’t have to surface to know she was nearing the island.

            A swell of water carried her onto the sandy beach, and though she had been practicing with this sort of thing, she still dropped a little too hard, wincing in pain. She wicked the water off of her tail and waited, turning to look at the volcano summit. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, and somehow so much… just _more_. It felt like the island was _looking back_ at her, or something.

            Feeling returned below her waist, and she stood up. Honestly, she should have thought ahead before coming out here. Walking around through trees and branches would have been much more comfortable with clothes. She thought longingly of the shorts and shirt hidden underneath a rock at their spot on the beach. This was going to suck.

            Naked, she walked up to the tree line, trying to remember where exactly they had entered. A crooked tree looked familiar, so she started there. Vines and branches whipped at her skin, and the jungle was so thick that in seconds the beach was invisible. She pushed toward the ravine where Piper had fallen into that hole. As she wrestled with branches, she wondered what the hell she was even doing here. This place was dangerous, and alive. Yet the need to know more outweighed her apprehension. After a few tense minutes, the sound of rushing water became more prominent.

            It was even more breathtaking than she remembered. One last branch scraped against her hip as she stepped onto white rock. Other rocks like this were scattered across the valley. A clear stream rushed under and around, dropping from a thick line of trees and running all the way to the ocean, glittering far below where Cleo stood. A slight breeze lifted her hair.

            Cleo looked around, and to her right, below the rock she was standing on, was exactly the spot where Piper had fallen. She jumped down, landing on the gravelly spot where they had originally come out of the trees.

             There was nothing there. Thinking that she had gotten the spot wrong, Cleo walked up the tree line slowly, looking for an entrance. Then she walked back. And up again.

            Nothing.

            “That’s impossible.” The words left her lips and hung in the air. A dumb thing to say. Of course it was impossible. What, exactly, had happened to them that _was_ possible? She was a mermaid, she had magic powers, and the hottest girl she had ever met was somehow into her.

            Well, that last one was sort of unrelated. But still important. Thinking about Piper was only going to distract her, so she pushed away the thoughts, kicking a branch. The entrance was closed, at least from this way. Clear water babbled below her as she jumped from rock to rock toward the ocean, glittering at the bottom of the ravine. She looked up as she neared the water, noting how high up the trees were now. Overlooking it all was the towering volcano. Birds and insects chirped somewhere out of sight, and seagulls circled above.

            Warm water welcomed her back as she dived in from an overhanging rock. She kept close to the rock face beneath the mountain, swimming and looking for the hole they had escaped from over a month ago, but it didn’t reveal itself. The stress of that night meant her memories of exactly where they had surfaced were nonexistent. She circled halfway around the island, until the leeward side of the mountain was directly above her.

            So subtly she almost missed it, her hair drifted in front of her face, moving away from a cool current coming from her left. She stopped, looking again at the wall of rock she had just dismissed. It was dappled with coral and fish, and kelp swayed at the bottom. No opening.

            Letting herself sink to the sand, she closed her eyes. The current was very slight, but present, rushing toward her face with the force of a falling feather. She opened her eyes and moved forward, but slightly to the left this time. The solid wall moved in two different directions, splitting as though she was crossing her eyes. Blink, and the effect was over. This time she moved slightly to the right, squinting at the wall. It happened again, and she realized it was just one wall moving, and she swam even closer, holding out a hand to touch it. As she thought, her hand moved past the point where there should have been contact. There was a section where one part of the rock moved behind the rest, allowing for a small passageway. The moment she moved backward, it disappeared. There was no trace of it, even though she knew exactly where to look.

            Taking in a good breath before going into the rock, she looked up at the mountain one last time. It loomed above the island like a silent monument, jutting into the sky unnaturally, but closer than it had been on the other side of the island.

            The tunnel was smaller than she remembered. She moved slowly through it, relying more on her powers to move her than her tail, afraid of scraping it on the hanging corals. It was also longer, she thought fretfully. There was no place she could turn around if this was a dead end.

            But the current was still moving, so she knew there was _something_ up ahead.

            Sure enough, the tunnel opened up into a pool of water, probably seven or eight feet across. The water here was unusually warm, and felt…different from saltwater, somehow. It wasn’t science, but saltwater sat on her skin differently than, say, bathwater. This was somewhere in between.

            Gray stone was cool under her fingers, lit by the top of the mountain, which she was now in the center of. The small waterfall trickled, echoing up the shaft and creating a white noise.

            Exactly how she remembered it.

            Only now the opening in the wall that had led them here was flat rock. Cleo’s grunt was loud as she pulled herself up. Where dancing runes and symbols had glowed, there was only sand and stone. The energy that had perplexed her before now sat somewhere behind her eyes, the exact same way it felt to use her powers. A deep sense of foreboding and wonder fought for dominance. Overwhelmingly, though, she felt at peace.

            Moments later she was walking in a slow circle, hand on the wall. If there were any optical illusions going on, she would find them. A bird cawed somewhere high above her.

            Nothing. She pushed on every wall, looked at it from close up _and_ far away, and found nothing. Frustrated, she smacked the stone.

            “What is your deal?” She whispered. “I can’t figure you out, but...” _Maybe Lewis can._ How had she not thought of this already? They needed to bring him out here to…do whatever it is he did. Science things.

            Actually, Cleo realized, they hadn’t talked much since he found out about them. A certain Piper had gotten in the way of that. She took one last look around, but nothing had changed. The mountain wasn’t interested in her outburst, or her relationships.

            “It’s all your fault, you know.” She told it, looking up. The sky looked down on her warmly, but that was all.

 

 

            The sun beat down on Piper for the fourth consecutive hour, unrelenting on the golf course. In a past life, she might be worried about sunburn. Now, the heat felt more like a warm blanket than something oppressive. Mermaid stuff. She lined up her shot, fully aware that everyone was watching, including the business partner her dad was trying to woo. It would have been a little nerve-wracking, except she was having a really good day. The club whizzed through the air and smacked the ball, sending it flying directly toward the field ahead of them and lining up with the hole. A nearly perfect shot.

            Everyone clapped politely, and she turned with a bow, grinning. Her father and mother stood closest, in matching white outfits. Her dad gave her a wide smile.

            The potential business partner stood next to him, an older man with graying hair and a slight limp. Behind them were his wife and daughter. Mrs. And Marnie Cooper. Marnie was a year younger than Piper, but almost as good at golf.

            “You’re only getting better, sweetheart. Someday you’ll be outscoring me.” Mr. Groomer nodded in agreement.

            “I’m going easy, trust me.” She quipped, high-fiving her dad. The caddy handed her a water when she approached the cart. It dripped with condensation, and she was glad for her pair of black gloves. Checking her reflection in the small side mirror, she pulled down her skirt just a bit. Cleo had done well, picking out the black skirt and gray polo. If she had gone with the other outfit, her and her parents would have looked like the Three Stooges. A stray hair peeked from her ponytail, and she smoothed it into place.

            “Ugh, I hate doing other people’s business,” came a voice from behind her. She turned around.  “I told my dad, ‘if you _both_ have a teenage daughter, it equals out if neither of them go golfing.’ Who do you think won that argument?” Marnie jumped up onto one of the seats, crossing her legs. She had been quiet most of the day, and Piper was glad for a distraction from the bore.

            Piper told her, “The only thing I hate more than golf is losing to my dad at golf. Which, and this is just between us,” she leaned in and dropped her voice, “he said I had to do today.”

            Piper’s smiled, tucking a piece of short blonde hair behind one ear. They made small talk for a while, comparing horror stories about events they had been forced to attend. Overall, it was pleasant. Marnie was funny and sweet, and they got along well. Mostly at their fathers’ expense. It didn’t seem weird when they exchanged phone numbers. After all, if this arrangement followed through (which they suspected it would), they might be seeing a lot of each other.

            It also didn’t seem weird when Marnie touched Piper’s shoulder or thigh as she talked while they rode on the back of the cart on the way back to the country club’s main building. Girls were usually touchy like that. It just made her miss Cleo even more. What was she doing? Piper had left her phone in the car at the club, and hadn’t been able to check it all day. It was a bad feeling, especially after spending essentially every minute of every day with her the past week.

            While Marnie droned on about a fashion show she had attended, she recalled that morning in her car when her and Cleo had left the restaurant. Rikki had run off already, and the parking lot was basically empty. Cleo had latched on to her from the passenger seat, leaning across the cab to bury her face in Piper’s neck.

            “I changed my mind, you aren’t allowed to go.”

            “Do you wanna be the one to tell my dad that?”

            Cleo inhaled deeply at her neck, giving her goosebumps. “Hmm. Sure, give me your phone.” She pulled back, plucking Piper’s phone from her lap and holding it out of reach.

            “Give that back!” Piper struggled against the arm that was suddenly gripping the door handle, effectively pinning her against the seat. Cleo dropped the phone behind her and used her other hand to grab Piper’s side. She squealed with laughter as she was tickled mercilessly. “Okay, okay,” she gasped between laughs, “I’ll stay. For ten more minutes.”

            She pushed out her bottom lip but relented. “I guess I’ll take what I can get.”

            “If it was up to me, I really wouldn’t go. If it was up to me,” she ran a hand through Cleo’s hair, pushing it back, “we would never leave this car.”

            She leaned forward, capturing the other girl’s lips. Cleo hummed and pushed her back. It was awkward in the small space, and she was leaning halfway across the cab, but nothing seemed to matter when she was kissing Piper like this. Her fingers tightened in brown curls as a tongue pressed against her lips, and she opened her mouth with a sigh.

            Cleo stopped then, pulling back like she wanted to say something. Instead, she had just bit her lip and slumped back into the passenger seat. “Let’s go, I don’t want to make you late.”

            Piper grabbed onto the handrail as the cart went over a bump. She sighed, wondering what Cleo would have said if they weren’t in such a hurry. Her outburst the night before had been worrying, and Piper felt guilty. She had been taking things slow on purpose, not realizing Cleo felt so rejected. The thing was, she liked Cleo. A lot. But Cleo had never been with another girl before. There had been two girls in the past that had gotten involved with Piper before deciding their gay phase was over, and that hurt. She knew Cleo would never hurt her on purpose, but it could still happen. Once the newness of the whole mermaid thing wore off, maybe she would want her life to go back to normal.

            If she was being honest with herself, Piper was falling, and falling hard. _Just like the last time_ , she thought bitterly, then berated herself. Cleo was different. Cleo was…          

            The golf cart hit another bump that almost sent her sprawling onto the grass. She grabbed the rail again, and Marnie grabbed onto her. She looked at the hand gripping her knee.

            “Whoa!” Piper’s dad called from behind them, “You girls okay?”

            “We’re fine,” Marnie giggled, giving her knee a squeeze, “Right, Piper?” She gave her a wide, innocent smile, blue eyes glinting. Pulling her hand away a moment too late.

            Piper gave her a nervous laugh and slid as far as the seat would allow her to.

 

            Rikki awoke abruptly, with the kind of panic that only comes with not knowing where you are or what time it is. She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a wide expanse of blue blankets. This wasn’t her room, or Cleo’s, or even Piper’s… oh. Everything that had happened that day rushed back to her, like a dream but better. The light coming in through the window told her that it was late afternoon. She must have slept the whole day.

            All of this registered at once, and she was aware the next instant that someone else was in the room with her. Trying to brush her hair out with her fingers, she sat up. Zane was standing at the foot of the bed, facing away from her and pulling down an under armour shirt. She only saw it for a second, but the huge, angry black and blue bruise spanning from his shoulder to his lower spine burned itself into her brain. She gasped, and he turned around.

            “Oh, you’re up.” He yanked the shirt down. Not fast enough. Her eyes raked over a twin bruise over his ribs, this one yellow and green. “I told the guys I’d meet them at the trails soon. I didn’t want to wake you.”

            Rikki swallowed, trying to form a coherent sentence. Zane cocked an eyebrow, and his jaw set dangerously.

            “What,” he said flatly, not like a question at all. Rikki made a decision not to let him know what she just saw.

            “I- I didn’t mean to sleep so late.” She stood up and looked away, tugging her clothes into place and knowing she looked like a mess after her nap.

            His voice softened, “I just woke up, too. I guess we both needed the sleep.”

            “Yeah,” she fidgeted, fighting against an odd sort of panic. “I’ll let you get to it, then.”

            “Rikki, wait,” he grabbed her hand as she almost ran past him, “When can I see you again?”

            They were face to face now, too close and not close enough. His eyes were wide and too vulnerable.

            “Tomorrow?” She answered without thinking, but Zane’s face broke into a smile and that made everything kind of okay for a moment.

            “Tomorrow.” And before she could move, he ducked down and kissed her. It wasn’t like their kiss in the woods, this one was quick and reassuring, like he needed to know she was still here for this. _I am,_ she said, leaning up on her toes.

            “Do me a favor and kick Nate’s ass out there,” she murmured against his lips. He laughed, bringing his hands to her waist.

            “Nate can hardly get the damn bike started.” He kissed her again. “I’m not worried about him.”

            “What are you worried about, then?” She teased, resting her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled so nice.

            “Absolutely nothing,” he said, exhaling into her hair. They stood like that for a moment, and questions were burning at Rikki’s lips, but now wasn’t the time. She just let herself be, let herself live in this perfect moment. She would ask questions later. Over Zane's shoulder, the sun was setting in a sea of gold and purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama? Drama.   
> Three things:  
> 1\. Writing any mermaid scenes makes me want to be on the beach SO BAD. Also, I'm pissed off because I'm not a mermaid and that just sucks.  
> 2\. This chapter did not come easily and I'm so tired of it so please just take it bc another rewrite WILL kill me.  
> 3\. My head canon for Marnie is Nicola Peltz!
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it!


	9. Boat-Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Sorry this is a little late, but I've been on vacation. I'm in the most beautiful beach town and getting SO MUCH INSPIRATION. And no motivation, sadly. If you've left a comment or kudos, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate feedback and suggestions! I'm also glad people are liking this story bc it's one I've wanted to write for a long time.

            The JuiceNet was busier than Piper had ever seen it, and she had to weave delicately through crowded tables just to make it to the one empty seat at the bar. Rikki and Wilfred were busy blending and taking orders, catching up to the breakfast rush.

            She picked up a menu and read through it, wrinkling her nose at some of the stranger options. _Pineapple and spinach?_  Who in their right mind would enjoy that?

            “Hey!” Rikki was pulling off a long pair of latex gloves. “Where’s Cleo?”

            “Fishing with her dad,” Piper told her. He had a sudden, unbidden mental image of Cleo, tail and all, caught in a fishing net and being hauled aboard a pirate ship. The thought was simultaneously comedic and chilling.

            “Fishing, huh?” Rikki gave her a look. Piper nodded in response. They both knew it was risky, but Cleo had insisted it was fine. Unfortunately, that was the most they could discuss things with twenty other patrons shoved into the bar. Rubber gloves snapped as Rikki pulled on another pair.

            “So, are you here for a juice or just the company?”

            “Juice. I don’t care what you give me as long as it isn’t green.”

            Rikki turned to throw it together, and Piper picked up her phone. She groaned internally as a message from Marnie buzzed in. Since meeting her only a few days ago, the girl had proven herself to be _quite_ annoying. Their text history was already a mile long, mostly because Piper was too polite to ignore her.

             Rikki set a cup of bright yellow liquid on the counter and stuck a straw in it. Piper put down her phone, thankful for a distraction. She took a sip and cocked her head at the odd mixture.

            “Guava and banana.”

            “It’s amazing!”

            “Thought you would like it. It’s Cleo’s favorite…” She trailed off mid-sentence, eyes fixed on a point over Piper’s shoulder. She followed her gaze to the patio, thinking it might be Cleo

            _God, I’m pathetic._ She scanned the crowd for a familiar face, but the only person she knew was Zane Bennet, sitting on the patio surrounded by people. The blonde next to him was telling a story animatedly, sitting half in his lap.

            Rikki blinked and looked down when Piper turned back around.

            “What is it?”

            “Long day, “she answered, giving a wide smile that looked a bit forced. “Back to work. That one’s on the house.”

            Nothing better to do, Piper watched Rikki as she bustled around the dining room. She was a whirlwind, picking up every empty glass or plate and stacking them dangerously high in her hands. She dropped them on a drying rack behind the counter and repeated the process on the patio. Piper noticed Zane perk up when she walked out there, attention moving completely from the girl next to him. That was odd, Piper thought.

            “Zane Bennet was staring at you,” Piper told her a moment later, leaning over the counter conspiratorially.

            “Was he?” Rikki said breathlessly, slamming the cups onto a drying rack and shoving it into the industrial washer on the far wall. Piper narrowed her eyes. She at least expected a snort of disgust, or confusion. But her friend’s face was carefully blank. Years of being an unabashed gossip told her something was going on here.

            Rikki pulled the top of the washer down and pressed a button, not noticing there was about a half inch of space at the bottom where she had failed to shut it all the way. Before Piper could call out a warning, the pressure washer started and a jet of water shot directly at her chest.

            “Christ!” She pushed the button again, shutting off the water far too late. The front of her shirt was soaking wet, and she looked up at Piper with wide eyes. There was a beat of silence, then Piper’s stool scraped backward loudly as she stood up. Nearby customers watched in confused alarm as she nearly sprinted after Rikki into the huge freezer room. She pulled the door shut and turned around, catching Rikki’s pants full in the face. By the time she yanked them off her head, Rikki was sprawled on the cold floor, rubbing her elbow.

            “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she said, rolling onto her back and sitting up. Her pale green tail looked starkly out of place in the restaurant cooler, jutting out nearly the entire length of the room. Piper stepped toward her anxiously, not knowing if she should help or avert passerby outside. She didn’t even work here, for Christ’s sake.

            “Hurry, dry off! Before – “

            Right on cue, the freezer door handle turned. Too far away to throw herself against the door, Piper held out a hand desperately. The ice hanging off of the wall grew and solidified around the handle, forming a barrier around the inside and effectively freezing the door shut.

            “Did you see that?” She whispered, clapping her hands and jumping up a down. Rikki glowered, clearly unimpressed with her mini-celebration.

            “Rikki? What’s going on?” Wilfred pounded on the door. They both looked up. “Someone said you looked upset. Did you nick yourself? Because the first aid is in –“

            “I’m okay!” Rikki called, “I think the door’s broken. I can’t turn the handle.”

            “Really? I just -- well, hang on. I’ll get the tool box.” They heard him walk away.

            Rikki sighed and held a fist over her body, steam sizzling from her tail. Piper hopped from toe to toe anxiously, exhaling in relief when Rikki stood up and took her pants back.

            “What are you going to say when the door isn’t broken?” Piper pushed her trainers toward her where they had been flung across the room.

            “Watch and learn,” She stood, holding up her hand. Where her fingers met the sheet of ice, it melted and fell away until her hand closed around the metal handle. She twisted her hand and the metal followed, bending at an unnatural angle. When she pulled back, it was red-hot. She sighed quietly, flexing her fingers.

            “That felt nice.”

            “How do you do that?” Piper had tried to attempt the same sort of thing, but she could only ever make her hands feel as though she had just set down an iced tea. Utterly useless.

            “I don’t know. I only just started controlling it,” Rikki said quietly. She examined her palm, holding it out for both of them to see. “It’s sort of like being a can of soda someone shook up and walked away from. Using my powers relieves that pressure, a little.” She shrugged.

            “That sounds pretty awful.”

            “It was, at first. I’m still learning how to use it.”

            Wilfred’s voice floated across the thick door, along with the jangle of metal tools. “I’m taking off the hinges- hang on, girls!”

 

            They filed out of the cooler as nonchalantly as possible while Wilfred puzzled over the broken handle

            “Thanks for that,” she whispered to Piper, “You really saved me there.”

            “Anytime,” Piper said, then paused. “Actually, let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.”

            “Back at you.” She leaned against the counter, sighing. “I’ve got to help Wilfred fix the door now, I suppose. See you later.”

            Piper waved goodbye and Rikki was left alone, with nothing to distract her from the scene unfolding on the patio. Zane and his friends had arrived about an hour ago, and Miriam seemed to inch closer and closer until she was all but straddling him. Even now, she was squashed up next to him as he was talking to Nate, leaning into their conversation. It was clear from the start that Zane wasn’t responding…but he wasn’t stopping her, either.

            Rikki huffed, blowing her bangs askew. What was he playing at? Was he trying to make her jealous? Because she wasn’t jealous. Yeah, maybe it _would_ be nice to sit around all day worrying about her dirt bike, or when she could go get a juice with her friends, instead of slaving away all day blending fruit just to get by on car payments. Rikki didn’t think he would like it all that much if it were _her_ sat on the patio with a hot piece hanging on her every word.            Zane glanced at her mid-sentence, flashing a disarming smile. Caught in the act, she huffed and looked away, not before receiving a scathing frown from Miriam.

            _Not jealous,_ she reminded herself. At least it was nearly the end of her shift, and the morning crowd had filtered out. Her nails tapped against the register as she made change for a table. The grating sound of Miriam’s laughter drifted in from the deck.

            As soon as her replacement clocked in, Rikki took off, eager to get out of her work clothes. Normally, she would be looking forward to a shower, but the day-to-day things that a body did seemed to have slowed or stopped. She didn’t feel gross, she only needed to shave every few days, and she only ever sweat when her powers overwhelmed her. Mermaid life had its perks. Right now, her need to change had more to do with the banana and strawberry splattered across her clothes.

            Just as she was getting into her car, her phone rang. It was Zane. Naturally.

            “Uh, hello?”

            “Where did you go?”

            “What?”

            “I was waiting on you!”

            “…you were?” She looked around and saw him exit the Juicenet, phone to his ear. “I’m in my car.”

            “I see you,” he said, then ended the call. She waited with her hands on the wheel, feeling jumpy.

            “Hey!” He grinned, sliding into the passenger seat with a huge smile. Rikki smiled back, sitting awkwardly in her seat. Despite his familiarity, she was quite unclear where they stood. It had been four days since they had hung out last, despite their best efforts, and her work schedule took up a lot of her time. And she spent most mornings before her shifts in the water.

            “You were waiting on me?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Why?”

            He shifted uncomfortably, turning toward her.

            “ _Why?_ Why do you think?” He looked annoyed, and when she didn’t answer he sat back in the seat. His face did that thing where it just went _blank_. Rikki hated when he did that. “Look, if you want me to leave you alone just say so.” He looked out of the windshield petulantly. Rikki laughed.

            “Okay, drama queen,” she said, pushing his shoulder. “What’s the plan?”

            He mumbled something about not being appreciated.

            “What was that?”

            “I said we’re going to the docks.”

            “What are we doing at the docks?” She asked nervously, picturing the speedboat that had gotten them into all of this in the first place.

            “I’m taking you out. Don’t worry about it.”  

            “I don’t swim, Zane.”

            “I’m not asking you to.”

            She sighed apprehensively. Going out on the boat with him was too risky. But, he seemed to have something planned and Rikki wanted to know what it was. She eyed him warily; he seemed to be handling her evasiveness with extreme grace. He had yet to ask any questions about the water thing or the burn that was only now disappearing from his neck.

            Then her eyes drifted over his chest, where she knew a black and blue mark spread over his lower clavicle. She thought of her own burning questions, and how she bit them back every time. Maybe they were both thinking the same thing; that they were both quick to anger, and one wrong question would end everything. It was fragile, and he seemed to understand that as much as she did.

            “Okay. I’ll meet you.”

            He grinned, “Great. You won’t regret it.” He ducked forward and kissed her. “I’ll see you in twenty.”

            Then he was gone, striding across the parking lot toward the building. Rikki started her car with shaky hands.

 

            _I think I would be a valuable addition to campus life…_

_I would be a valuable addition to campus life…_

_I would benefit the campus by…_

“This is shit. This is all shit.” Piper groaned to herself, erasing the last few words and pulling at her hair. The laptop screen stared at her unsympathetically from the kitchen island, two lines sitting pitifully on the blank page. The university application process was going poorly, to say the least. She should have been done months ago, but then everything _else_ had gotten in the way. Now she had to the end of the week to finish it all, or her mother would find out.

            She tried again to begin the application essay. It was slow going, and she knew her heart wasn’t in it. She had been dead-set on skipping her gap year and going straight into undergrad, in order to get a head start on law school. Now, though, things were different.

            The Gold Coast had become much more than a temporary move while she finished high school. She was a mermaid now, she had two amazing friends, and she had Cleo. Cleo, her…well, her best friend. Someone she was falling for, and someone she didn’t want to leave.

            The cursor on the screen blinked in and out like a second hand, pressing her to continue. She sighed. Maybe certain bridges just had to be crossed when she got to them.

            “Piper, honey,” Her mother walked in behind her, and she snapped the computer closed. “Do you have something to wear to the Bennet’s party? I was thinking of going into the city tomorrow if you need to go shopping.” She set a bag of groceries down, followed by the delivery boy. Piper tossed a braid over her shoulder and swiveled in her chair.

            “What did you just say?”

            “Thank you, Jameson, tell your mother I said hello,” she handed the guy a wad of cash and a warm smile. Then she started to unpack, setting a jar of peanut butter down on the granite. “The party, Piper, I already told you about it.”

            “Yeah, I know, but who did you say is throwing it?”

            “The Bennet’s. They’re a family here on the Coast, so it’s not a far drive. Jason Cooper and Mr. Bennet went to university together.”

            “Ah.” Piper tapped a finger to her lower lip. That would be interesting. She hadn’t seen Zane since their encounter on the docks, and he hadn’t come off looking too good there.

            “And your friend Marnie will be there, too.”

            Her friend Marnie. Of course. Piper didn’t know if she could take an entire afternoon of that.

            “Can I bring Cleo?”

            “I don’t see why not.”

            That would be the slightest relief. Cleo made everything better. She picked up her phone and sent two messages.

            _You’re coming to a party with me._

_I’m taking you shopping._

She knew not to expect an answer until Cleo was back from fishing, but felt antsy anyway. She helped her mom unpack without sparing another thought for her essay.

 

           

            “Zane,” Rikki grudgingly allowed herself to be pulled toward the docks. It was only because she was curious to see what Zane was so excited about, she told herself, and not because of the arm tucked around her waist, “If I fall, you’re a dead man.”

            Even with the hand pressed over her eyes, she knew he was smirking. Despite her warning, he continued to walk way too fast across the sand, forcing her to cling to his hip to keep her footing. Which was probably exactly what he wanted.

            “Almost there… _step_!” She lifted one foot hesitantly, but his grip around her tightened and she was crushed to his chest, lifted off her feet. The hand on her face disappeared as he set her down on the wooden pier, and she blinked in the sunlight.

            “That was cute,” she said, glowering, “Don’t ever pick me up again.”

            “We’ll see about that.” His arm was still around her, and she was pulled along as he turned them toward the boats. Her jaw dropped at the white _monstrosity_ bobbing between two beat up fishing vessels. The yacht was big, and white, and its conspicuous aura was only amplified by the fairy lights strung all around the front cab and deck, glittering blue and white along the railings. Zane started toward it.

            “What do you think?”

            “We are not getting on that thing,” she said, fighting the urge to plant her heels and run the other way. He gave her a look that suggested _she_ was the crazy one.

            “It’s fine, my mom doesn’t care.” He stopped in front of the boat. The hand around her dropped away and then he was _lifting_ her again, the bastard. Like it was nothing, too. Her feet hit the bow and she jumped off of the cushioned seat onto the floor, extremely conscious that one wrong tip of the boat could send her into the water.

            “What did I say about doing that?” She watched him climb aboard. He still looked so smug, and she wondered again what exactly his plans were.

            “Do you always complain this much on dates?”

            “This is not a date.” She said it without thinking. It was a stupid thing to say, considering she was standing on this boat of her own accord, wearing a dress she normally saved for weddings or parties, and kind of wanted to kiss the stupid look off of Zane’s face. His eyes narrowed dangerously at her words.

            “Not a date?” He moved in close, crowding her against the door of the cabin. She gave him a warning glare that he ignored, leaning in agonizingly slowly. She shut her eyes in anticipation…

            A lock clicked and the door behind her was gone, swinging inwards at his push. He caught her by the waist in a lightning quick move as she began to fall.

            “Say it’s a date,” he said, bracing one hand on the door jamb. She struggled to right herself.

            “No.”

            The arm holding her up loosened, dropping her a few inches more. She yelped and tried to grab his arm.

            “Okay, fine. Fine!”

            “Say it!”

            “We’re on a date,” she gasped as he yanked her back up, pulling them chest to chest. “Wanker.”

            “A wanker you’re dating.”

            “One date,” she told him, looking up at his face, “doesn’t mean we’re dating.”

            “It’s a start.” He kissed her.

            It was the cheesiest thing she had ever heard.

            The inside was equally fitted out with fairy lights galore. It was a small room with a couch, a fridge, and a few chairs. At the far end, the wall was completely made of glass, and the pilot’s seat sat in the center. Rikki followed Zane to that chair, standing behind him as the engine thrummed to life, quiet and powerful. Rikki couldn’t believe any parents would trust their nineteen-year-old with a multimillion dollar boat like this.

            “Tell me about your mom,” she said, perching on the arm of the chair. “I don’t think I’ve ever even seen her.”

            He stiffened slightly as he directed the boat out of the bay.

            “She’s usually away,” he said, “Business, or travel, it doesn’t really matter. What about yours?”

            Rikki looked away, clearing her throat. “She’s not in the picture. Left when I was fourteen. That’s why my dad and I moved here.”

            It wasn’t something she thought about often, much less talked about. Even Cleo barely knew all the details. Broken liquor bottles and abandoned needles flashed through her mind’s eye, leaving a bad aftertaste. She shuddered.

            “I remember that. I started seeing you around school.”

            Rikki snorted, “Yeah, right.”

            He looked at her, but she kept her eyes trained on the dove grey clouds visible through the windows. She didn’t like talking about herself.

            “It’s a small school.”

            “Right.”

            He made a frustrated noise, so quietly Rikki thought she imagined it. He took the boat straight out, then turned and followed the coastline for a while. She was surprised when he stopped in open water, pressing a button to release the anchor.

            “Where are we?”

            “Just off shore. Near my house, I think.” He tapped her leg, and she stood to let him up. He crossed the room and opened the fridge. “Wine?”

            Now that was more like it. Some people had yachts, and mansions, but alcohol was alcohol. She nodded, taking a wine glass that he pulled from a cabinet. The bottle he set on the counter was large and full of dark red liquid. The script curling around the label was all in Italian, but she figured it was a chianti. He dug in a corkscrew.

            “Stole this from my father’s supply. It’s really old, should be good.” He shrugged. Rikki didn’t care about any of that – she was just eager for something to calm her nerves. He popped the cork (with some effort – Rikki had to bite her lip to avoid teasing him about it) and poured them both hefty portions.

            Rikki took a sip as he led them out of the cabin. It was sweet and dark, and she appreciated the way it settled warmly in her stomach. The afternoon air was cool, sun setting just enough for the coastline lights to glow softly against a dark gray sky. Half of the front deck of the boat was taken up by a long, padded bench, the other a waist-high railing.

            “I feel like a Bond girl out here,” she joked, running one hand along the railing. Her dress fluttered around her knees as she posed with an imaginary gun. Zane laughed and shook his head, moving to lean on the rail next to her. He stared into his glass and cleared his throat.

            “What’s your dad like?”

            She took a slow sip, feeling the slight burn in her stomach that told her the alcohol was kicking in. She also felt her hackles raise – where did that come from?

            _That’s how normal people talk to each other, idiot,_ a voice that sounded suspiciously like Cleo told her. She sighed and mimicked his position against the rail.

            “He does his best. It… it’s not perfect, but what is?”

            Zane didn’t say anything, and the silence was tense. Then he laughed, short but loud. Rikki looked at him, an irrational insecurity wondering if he was laughing at her admission.

            “We’re bad at this, aren’t we? I feel like I’m interrogating you or something.”

            Rikki didn’t know what to say. He was exactly right. Getting personal information from her was like pulling teeth, and vice versa. She wanted to tell him to be patient with her.

            “This wine is good,” is what she said instead. Zane nodded.

            “It better be, it was four hundred dollars. And it’s no better than what’s at the liquor store, in my opinion.”

            She went quiet, marveling again at how flippant he could be about money. The dark liquid swirled languidly around the glass as she rotated it. _Oh, well, I might as well just drink the damn stuff._

            “I usually go for quantity, not quality.”

            Zane snickered, “I keep to high end stuff after last summer.”

            “What happened last summer?” Rikki took the bait, draining her glass.

            “Long story short, Nate and Bobby brewed their own beer in Nate’s garage.”

            Rikki tried to picture Nate, and the equally stupid Bobby, trying to do anything that complicated. It was impossible.

            “Please tell me you didn’t drink it.”

            Zane didn’t say anything, and Rikki leaned toward him.

            “You did, didn’t you?”

            He looked out to sea with the aura of a man traumatized, “I’m not proud of it.”

            Rikki burst into laughter, launching into a story about the time she nearly got alcohol poisoning from drinking lemonade at a pool party she didn’t know was spiked. He claimed disbelief that Rikki had ever been that naïve about anything.

            As they talked, they refilled their glasses until the bottle was empty, and the sun was past the horizon. The sky was a deep amber, and the fairy lights were glowing in earnest, white and blue spots of light that seemed to float on their own. It occurred to Rikki that she might be a bit tipsy when she stood up and nearly toppled over. Zane’s hand shot forward and stopped her, gripping her hip. She giggled.

            “I forgot we were on a boat, sorry.”

            “What gave it away?” He stood up, and his hand didn’t move.

            Rikki giggled again, pushing him backwards to walk him toward the rail. He stopped when his back hit the metal.

            “Don’t tell me: you’re actually a murderer, and you’re going to throw me overboard and steal my boat.”

            “I think it’s your mum’s boat, actually,” Rikki said. Her words were a bit slurred. She hoped it wasn’t obvious. “Either way, I would save you.” She threw her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his chest. He was actually quite a nice person to rest on, all in all. Soft in all the right places.

            “I thought you didn’t swim.” His voice was quiet, and a hand trailed through her hair. She pulled back to look at him, only vaguely aware of what she just said. He was looking at her with an intensity she wasn’t expecting. She looked away.

            Cleo. That was it. He was looking at her the same way Cleo looked at her fish sometimes. It was unsettling.

            “I’m not a fish.” She told him obstinately. His eyebrows shot up in bemusement. Rikki frowned. She hadn’t meant to say that, and now that it was out there, the double meaning was painfully obvious. She bit her lip, feeling a genuine concern through the haze of alcohol that she had said too much.

            “Are…are you drunk?” Zane asked her hesitantly, stepping back to hold her at arm’s length. “Do I have a drunk girl on my boat right now?”

            She swatted his hands away. He didn’t let go. “You do not.”

            “I should – I should get you some food. I wasn’t trying to --” She stopped him as he tried to move away, planting her feet.

            “Zane, I’m fine. Really.” He didn’t look convinced, so she kissed him. She leaned up on her toes and pulled him in by the collar of his sweater. He was stiff at first, clearly thinking he was taking advantage. She giggled against his lips, because surely he should know by now Rikki would never let that happen. His other hand dropped to her hip, and it seemed like he was about to push her away. She swiped her tongue against his lower lip, and he hesitated. She ran one hand up through his hair, and he gave in. Strong hands pulled their bodies flush together, and he kissed her long and deep.

            She felt a faintness that had nothing to do with the alcohol. This was a Zane she understood best; wordless and passionate. It was a passion that he didn’t seem to show up outside of dirt biking or kissing Rikki, and she was _so_ here for it. Zane kissed her like this was the only thing that mattered, the only thing in the world. She wanted to give him the same kind of attention. She wanted him to know everything.

            “Zane-” she broke away, pulling back in the limited space. He looked at her breathlessly, a half smile on his face.

            “Zane, I’m not normal.”

            His eyebrows drew together, but he didn’t say anything. Rikki was glad they were on a boat, because every instinct was telling her to get out of this situation as fast as possible. She took a deep breath, because they might as well put an end to this thing before it really got started. She could already see his revulsion when she told him what she was, already feel the rejection in the back of her throat.

            “What do you mean?”

            Her mental conflict irritated the fire that seemed to always burn low in her belly, and fire licked at her throat and burned at her wrists. She felt like she might hyperventilate or pass out. Zane’s brow furrowed.

            “What’s going on?”

            She might as well just say it, rip off the band-aid. Her stomach turned and tossed like the sea. She gulped, taking a deep breath.

            “I’m a-“

            _Crack._

            A huge clap of thunder echoed across the sky, startling her into silence. They both looked toward the sky, noticing the massive, black cloud front moving in from the west. Thunder groaned again, followed by a white-hot snap of lightening. A sickening wave of ozone passed over her nose. It was going to rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some housekeeping:  
> 1\. I called Marnie's family both the Groomers and the Coopers in the last chapter. I'm stupid, I know. Her name is Marnie Cooper.  
> 2\. It's implied that they graduated high school. Yes, they did, and no, i didn't write it in. I just didn't feel like it, so if it bothers you I'm sorry!  
> 3\. If you notice any other plot holes from my crappy proofreading, let me know and I'll answer any questions y'all may have!
> 
> I'm shooting for the next update on Friday, if not then it'll be up around Monday. Sorry for the inconsistency, but my life is chaos.
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading, I really appreciate it!


	10. A Story in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short, Rikki and Zane centric chapter. It's super important to me, and I appreciate feedback if you are so inclined ;) I'm also going to warn for parental abuse/ physical violence triggers in this chapter -- read accordingly!

             Rikki gaped at the storm. It had come out of absolutely nowhere when she… no. Surely not. Zane let out a low whistle beside her.

            “Holy hell. Where did that come from?” The breeze picked up into a gust that almost knocked them over, bringing with it low thunder. Rikki’s hands fisted into his sweater as she drew close in the sudden chill. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

            “Rikki,” he looked down with wide eyes, gripping her wrists gently. “You’re hot.”

            “Oh.” She let go, stepping back. Her eyes drifted back toward the black clouds, darker than the night around them. She felt as though she was in a trance, and it had something to do with that storm.

            “We need to go.”

            “What?” In her peripheral, Zane walked back inside. The engine started somewhere underneath her feet. A hidden mechanism whined as the anchor retracted. The clouds drifted across the water towards her, watching her. The wind whistled around her, through her.

            “Rikki?” She snapped out of it, looking around. He was leaning through the door with a quizzical expression. “Are you okay?”

            “Yes.” She cleared her throat and followed him inside, wiping her palms on her dress.

            They were already moving, gliding smoothly parallel to the coastline. Directly toward the storm. She came to a stop just behind him.

            “Where are you going?”

            “Back to the docks.”

            They would never make it. Lighting sparked through the sky, and a black sheet of rain was visible in the lingering sunset hues. This was bad, she realized. Really bad. She remembered something Zane had said earlier.

            “Let’s – let’s go to your house.”

            “My house?” He echoed incredulously. “Why?”

            _It’s closer._ “You can sneak me in, so your dad doesn’t see. We can’t get stuck in this storm.”

            “He’s not home,” Zane mumbled.

            “Then what’s the problem?” She stood behind him and watched the mainland creep by.

            He turned and gave her a calculating look, “Are you sure?”

            _There’s no time to be sure._ “Yes.” He looked at her for a tense moment, and she forced a smile.

            “Alright. If you say so.” He adjusted the course so they were headed directly for land instead of parallel to it. Rikki resumed her pacing.

            What felt like a thousand years later, they pulled up next to the small dock on the beach in the back of Zane’s house. The storm had followed them every bit of the way, and the wind had gotten stronger. She jumped off of the boat carefully.

            “C’mon, c’mon…” she muttered, shifting her weight back and forth. Wood creaked underfoot. Zane exited the cab and locked the door. “What’s taking so long?”

            “You know,” He hopped onto the dock, stepping close. “I’ve had about enough of your whinging.”

            “What are you –” she cried indignantly as he bent down to sweep her up by the knees. Her arms flew around his neck to avoid cracking her head on the wood, and then he was carrying her toward the house, looking incredibly smug.

            “Zane, this isn’t funny,” she yelled over another crack of thunder. He rolled his eyes and hefted her up higher. His face was backlit by a bolt of lightning, and for a wild moment she felt like she was being carried away by Poseidon himself. The image was ruined when he smirked at her.

            “It actually kind of is,” he said. “You should see your face right now.”

            He got to the back door, fumbling for his key while holding her. Over his shoulder, the palm trees swayed against the breeze. Unruly waves tossed the yacht dangerously.

            Zane finally unlocked the door, and kicked it shut behind them not a moment too soon. A barrage of rain hit the windows, splattering violently and obscuring the night. They stood there and watched, catching their breath. For now, she was safe. He didn’t have to know just yet.

            “Okay, maybe you were right about coming here,” Zane allowed, staring with wide eyes at the storm. Rikki snorted.

            “Rule one of dating me; I’m always right.”

            He froze, and when she looked up he was suppressing a smile, quirking one eyebrow. “You know you just admitted that we’re dating, right?”

            “Oh, fuck off.”

            “Make me,” heavy sarcasm was softened by the gentle way he set her to her feet. She took a steadying breath, glad for the solid floor to stand on. The threat of rain was over, for now, and her brilliant plan to come here suddenly seemed extremely forward. They were just staring at each other now, and Rikki shifted underneath his gaze. The straps of her dress were digging into her shoulders, and her sandals were starting to get uncomfortable.

            “Do you have anything I can change into?"

            He blinked, obviously caught off guard by her question. Rikki raised her eyebrows. If she was going to be forward, she might as well go all the way with it.

            “I am sleeping over, right?” He was being awfully standoffish all of a sudden, less than five minutes from literally carrying her over the threshold.

            “Sure. Yeah, sure.” He looked so uncomfortable Rikki was kind of offended. “You can just find something in my room.”

            “Alright.” She didn’t move, narrowing her eyes. “What’s the matter with you?”

            “Nothing,” he was looking just over her shoulder, standing too far away. She took a step toward him, and he glanced at her nervously.

            “Are you scared of me or something?”

            He shook his head. “No.”

            “Then why are you being weird?” She ran her hands up his arms, stopping at his biceps. “It’s just me.”

            “I know that.”

            “Right.” She let her hands drop. “I’m going to change.”

            He banged around the kitchen as she walked through the dark halls up to his bedroom. When she found it, on the first try, thank you very much, she flicked the light switch. Everything looked the same, only the laundry was put away and the bed was unmade, blue sheets in a crumpled mess. She wondered if Zane was a restless sleeper.

            The first drawer was opened with great trepidation. Rikki was, unfortunately, no stranger to the icky things that found their way into teenage boys’ rooms. She let out a sigh of relief when there were only shirts. Something gray and soft caught her eye. She unfolded the shirt and pulled it on, letting her dress drop to the floor. It smelled like Zane. In the drawer underneath, she found a pair of black joggers that were entirely too big, but worked when she tied the drawstring as tight as possible. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail.

            She found him in the kitchen still, leaning against a white marble counter and texting furiously on his phone. She wondered who he was talking to, standing just outside of the room. He was still wearing his date clothes, and she felt ridiculous.

            “I look like a fucking clown,” she said, walking forward and clearing her throat. He looked up from his phone screen, eyes going wide. Before she knew it, her back was pressed against the wall and he was kissing her. 

            “You look amazing,” he breathed. Their foreheads slotted together perfectly.

            “You already have me in your house; the compliments are a bit redundant.” She felt giddy with excitement as his arms wound around her, and it was a bit frightening how much she liked it.

            “Do you want a beer?” He nodded toward the already open one on the counter, and she nodded. He let go of her, which was unpleasant, and opened the fridge. She came up behind him and grabbed one with an orange bottle. She was grateful for the fruity heaviness of it, taking a long swig. Like the wine earlier, it calmed her nerves.

            “So,” she leaned against the countertop, “We’re locked in for the night. Got any board games?”

            “You name it, we got it. Somewhere, at least.” He winked, "It would be nice to play a real game, for once. The maids used to let me win at Cluedo."

            “Seriously?” She cocked her head. That was a somewhat sad insight into life as a ridiculously rich person. He nodded, sighing.

            “Seriously.”

            The beer had begun to condensate, leaving ice cold droplets on her hand. She yanked her fingers away, wiping them on her pants. Zane raised an eyebrow.

            “Something wrong?”

            “No,” she drew him close and threw a hand around his neck. He refocused his attention, thankfully, on her lips. She did something with her tongue that he seemed to like, because he groaned and shifted, and suddenly she was being set on the counter top, once again with ease. Capable hands pulled her legs around his middle. A sudden heat flared up in her chest, one that might have passed for normal if it didn’t escalate so sharply. It took about half her concentration to keep it tamped down. She was highly enjoying the way he bit at her lip, licked along the curve of her throat, whispered her name softly, and burning his tongue off would kind of ruin that mood.

            Her hands began to wander, sliding up and over his shoulders, down his back, through his hair. He didn’t look it, but he was so much _bigger_ than her when they were this close. His shoulders were broad and his arms were deceptively muscular. She wanted to feel them. Her hands moved up his back, relishing in the warm skin as the sweater moved up.

            He groaned against her mouth, and for a second she thought she had done something right. Then stopped her, pulling her arms away. His eyes were wide and blank.

            “I’m sorry,” he said, “I can’t…”

            “Why not?”

            She wanted to know. She wanted him to tell her, selfishly. Yeah, they both had secrets, and yes, he would probably go running if she ever told him hers, but she had been letting herself get so _secure_ with him. Let herself believe she could be normal. Zane stared at her in that strange way that made her heart flutter. She looked steadily back, trying to convey that he could trust her. That she wouldn’t run.

            “It’s complicated.”

            She swallowed, “I know complicated, but…” this was going to get sappy, but she didn’t see any way around it, “but I can’t understand what you don’t tell me.” 

            She almost didn’t want to turn her eyes back to him, but then she did, and he was looking back. They were still so close, if she wanted, she could have just kissed him and taken the easy way out.

            She didn’t.

            “Can we go to my bedroom?” His voice was deep and his eyes dark, like he was bracing himself for something. Rikki followed him upstairs, noting how stiff he seemed. It wasn’t how most boys would act taking a girl to their bedroom, but whatever.

            He crowded her against the door as he shut it, kissing her softly. So softly, in fact, she was a little concerned. These mood shifts were violent enough to rival even hers. His lips ghosted against hers a few more times, then stilled. He had never acted like this, and Rikki had the distinct feeling a rug had been pulled out from under her feet. She couldn’t figure out what he wanted from her, who she needed to be right now. She felt naked, one step behind. He reached past her to flick off the light switch.

            “C’mon,” he murmured, pulling her by her hips toward the bed. The room was lit only by the dull yellow lamp on the other side of the bed, and by the occasional flashes of lightning accompanied by faint rumbles of thunder. He sat as his knees hit the mattress, pulling her into his lap again. The heat in her stomach made a hasty return, but now had nothing to do with magic. She sat back on his knees, waiting. He took a deep breath, and began to talk. His fingers toyed with a loose string at the waistband of her borrowed sweats.

            “Things haven’t always been so bad. I remember a time when my parents still, y’know, loved each other. Dad wasn’t so wrapped up in the business, mum stayed at home more. Back when I first started racing – little league stuff -- she would even come to watch.” He smiled weakly, “When I was about eleven, twelve, something happened. It was like living with two sharks, constantly going at it. I – they never told me what it was, but I’m willing to bet it was his fault.” His eyes became distant, and his voice got lower and faster, like he was reciting lines, “I remember one night in particular. They were having a screaming row downstairs. It was late. They probably thought I was sleeping. The things they were saying, that _he_ was saying… he threatened her. Threatened me. He said he would divorce her, take everything, keep her from seeing me ever again. She left, and didn’t come back for a week. He wouldn’t answer any of my questions. That’s when he started drinking more, taking up more development opportunities.”

            Rikki struggled to keep up with the barrage of words, and the meaning behind them. His hands had dropped from her waist, fisting in the wrinkled sheets below them.

            “She came home eventually, but it was different. They didn’t sleep in the same room, she stopped making dinner, I stopped asking questions. It still felt like she had left that one night, and never come back.”

            He took a deep breath, letting go of her and pulling the sweater over his head in one quick motion, tossing it to the side. Rikki froze against the sudden railing of her heart. She let her eyes travel, slowly, over the planes of his abdomen, chest, and shoulders. The angry black mark that she had seen on his left pectoral a few weeks before was almost gone, leaving a slight yellow tinge that she could only see with her heightened night vision.

            Just below his breastplate was a newer one, dark in the orange lamplight. It was less broad and more circular, like he had been punched sharply. Another faded yellow blotch on his right hip, right on the bone. She took all of it in, stopping at the hand fisted against the bed. Mid-forearm were four dark circles, and she was willing to bet there would be a fifth if she turned over his arm. Rain railed against the windows, slightly calmer than before, like the end of the storm was in sight. His voice was shaky as he continued.

            “He was drinking all the time, and it was usually just me and him in the house. He would drink himself into a fury and tell me I was just like _her._ That I would disappoint him, and ruin the family business. He hit me. It was never anything bad, he would do it once and apologize later. The first time it happened, I cried. It only made him angrier, he told me to be a man. That was the only night he hit me twice.” He chuckled darkly, looking down.

            “Zane.”

            “It’s not as bad as it used to be. He doesn’t mean anything by it.” Zane’s voice had dropped to a whisper. “He’s away a lot more.”

            The image of Zane, all alone in this massive house, was almost too much to bear. He didn’t deserve this life, and Rikki was so angry for him. She thought of all the times he and his father had strolled along the docks, mocking the fisherman and baiting them into fights or rigged fishing competitions. Organized races for outrageous prizes that would go to “charity.” Rikki had hated the both of the. But now she knew. All the disdain and superiority Zane had acted with had been for his father. To impress him, or placate him, to gain his respect. It all made sense. What a fucking monster.

            “Why are you telling me this?” She bit her tongue, hard, to stop the waves of anger licking down her blood stream.

            Zane blinked, looking up like he had forgotten she was there. He looked tired, and his words settled carefully in her mind.

            “You asked." 

             He cleared his throat and looking away. Rikki was glad he did, because she wasn’t sure what her face looked like. Whatever she was expecting his story to be, this wasn’t it. This was so much worse, for so many reasons. And she knew exactly how much it hurt, because she had been there. The only difference was, that part of her story had ended a long time ago. His was still going.

            She wondered how many people had seen this side of him, knew his story. How could none of his many friends ever ask him about himself? It seemed so poorly hidden that he wasn't okay.

            “Thank you. For telling me.” She knew what it had cost for him to say those things, and it was scary. Fucking scary. A slight frown played at the edges of his mouth.

           “Thank you for listening,” his thumb wiped something hot and wet from her cheek, that she hadn’t realized was there. She turned her head away, alarmed at his composure. The rain had stopped, and it was as quiet as a graveyard.

            “Why don’t you move out? You could get your own place, or…” _Or live with me_. It wasn't something she ever wanted him to see, but the words sat at the tip of her tongue anyway, because even her pride wasn't worth more than his safety. He was shaking his head before she even finished.

            “It’s not that simple.”

            She was suddenly exhausted, from the story, from the storm, from her own emotions. There was something sitting on her chest that she wanted to say, but she didn’t know how. He didn’t seem to expect an answer, just watched her with that same strange expression from earlier.

            “Zane, I had no idea –“

            “Can we just go to bed now? Or,” He still looked calm, but the edges of his mask were slipping, “the storm’s over, I can take you home if you want.”

            She didn’t know if he was joking or not, so she just shook her head and climbed out of his lap. The lamp turned off at her touch, plunging them into darkness. He threw the comforter over them, and she hesitated for a brief moment. She wanted to hold him, to know that he was there and okay. But everything was so  _raw._

            Her unspoken question was answered as the bed shifted underneath her, and she was pulled into a pair of strong arms. She sighed. Her head pushed into the cool crook of his neck, hand rested tentatively on his side.

            “You’re warm,” he noted quietly. He breathed into the top of her head, she could hear his voice vibrate through his chest. The heavy feeling in her chest shivered, and became impossibly denser. She took a deep breath, forcing the heat away.

            _We’ve hardly been hanging out a week, dammit._ He had no right to make her feel this way after one date. It was ridiculous. She should not be wanting to tell all of her secrets to someone who a month ago hardly spared her a glance.

            But he was wrapped around her, breathing softly against her hair. He was someone completely new to her now. Her hand twitched against bare flesh, and she was belatedly reminded that he was half naked. Something she, regrettably, hadn’t gotten to explore tonight.

            No, she had gotten something much more precious. She just didn’t know if she was worthy of it. She had to tell him everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week will be some science-y goodness with our old friend Lewis, get hype.


	11. The Tempest and the Toenail

           Cleo brushed her hair roughly - the sharp pains were good for waking her up. It was too early for any sane person to be awake, but she had had a rough time sleeping. It had been a close call on the boat with her father the previous night. She had to be constantly aware of the space around her to keep the ocean spray away. And then Kim had called… A particularly hard pull caused her to wince and drop the brush. It clattered to the floor. Cleo sighed and crouched down to pick it up. Bright colors caught her eye, and she reached for the box sitting on the lowest shelf of her cabinet.

            Tampons. A full box. She remembered buying them…almost two months ago. Before the island. After carefully doing the math twice, her heart started to race. Her phone buzzed on the counter. She answered it.

            “Hello?”

            “Cleo, it’s me. Are you home?”

            She blinked at the box as Rikki’s voice filtered through her racing mind. “I…yeah, I am.”

            “I’m here. Let me in.”

            “The door’s open,” Cleo said. She wandered back to her room, and she was still standing there when Rikki barged through.

            “We need to talk,” she said. Cleo didn’t answer right away, and she crossed her arms. “Why are you holding a box of napkins?”

            “Rikki,” Cleo cleared her throat, “Rikki, have you had your period?”

            Rikki put her hands to her temples and exhaled sharply, “I don’t even _know_ how to respond to that.”

            “Rikki.”

            “I don’t keep up with it.”

            Cleo bit her lip. “I haven’t had mine. Since what _happened._ I’ve missed it twice.”

            Rikki frowned, starting to catch on. She cocked her head to one side, suddenly looking disgusted.

            “Hold on. Have you… _Lewis_!?”

            “ _No!”_ Cleo yelled, shaking the image out of her head. “Bloody hell, Rikki, that’s not what I’m getting at. I haven’t…I think it’s just stopped.”

            Rikki frowned. “Do you think that’s possible? It’s pretty drastic.” She sat on the bed, patting the space next to her. Cleo sat. “Now that I think about it, though, maybe I’m past due.”

            “This is a pretty big deal,” Cleo said, “It…it could mean we’ll never have children. And who knows what else could change. What if we grow gills or something?”

            Rikki rolled her eyes, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe Lewis could help. He says some smart things. Sometimes.”

            “Maybe,” Cleo allowed. She looked down, noticing for the first time what Rikki was wearing. “That’s a bit much for eight in the morning, isn’t it?”

            Rikki fingered the edge of her yellow dress. “I have to ask you something.”

            “What?”

            “What were you doing last night?”

            “I was out on the boat.”

            “There was a storm. Over the shore.”

            Cleo looked down. “Yeah, we got home just in time.”

            “Do you remember… what you were doing when it started?”

            Kim, crying over the phone that Mum was gone, that she had left without warning to stay at her sister’s up North. Dad hanging up and turning them toward shore without saying a word.

            “I was upset.” She remembered the feeling of the waves churning beneath the boat like they were in tune with the beating of her heart. The sudden pull of her blood toward the first crack of thunder on the horizon.

            Rikki thought hard about something, looking at the box in Cleo’s hand.

            “You know what? I have to get home.”

            “Why?”

            “You were right, I’m too dressed up. I have to change.”

            “Well, me and Piper are going shopping today, you should come!” Cleo called after her.

            “Can’t, sorry!”

 

 

            The shopping trip, in Piper’s opinion, was disappointing. Cleo shared _none_ of her interests when it came to fashion. The poor girl didn’t even know the tell-tale signs of a knock-off Yves St. Laurent garment. She had plodded around the shops all day, feigning excitement whenever Piper pointed something out. It was pretty clear early on that her best chance was the shove-clothes-over-the-dressing-room-door maneuver. In the end, she had just told Cleo which one suited her best and that had been that.

            They were on the freeway now, headed out of the city. Cleo was sat in the passenger seat, expression hidden behind sunglasses. She mouthed along to the words on the radio while tapping on her phone.

            “Something on your mind?” She had been oddly quiet all day. Piper didn’t have any reason to believe it was something to do with her, but Cleo was rarely at a loss for words. Maybe she just hated shopping that much. Just when Piper thought she wasn’t going to answer, she dropped her phone to her lap.

            “Rikki’s been acting so weird lately. She came to my house this morning just to talk about the weather. And she was wearing a _dress_. Rikki _never_ wears dresses.”

            “What do you think is going on?”

            “Obviously she’s seeing someone!”

            “Is that so bad?”

            “She’s hiding it from me. It’s not like her.”

            Piper pondered that. As far as she knew, it was exactly like her. She seemed wildly overprotective of her life and everything in it. Personally, Piper didn’t care to know who Rikki was seeing. If she wanted it to be a secret, that was fine by her.

            She reached over with her free hand and found Cleo’s. Fingers wound together, sending warm tingles down her spine.

            “She’ll tell you when she’s ready. Rikki’s not the gushing type.”

            “Maybe you’re right.”

            “Is that the only thing bothering you?”

            Cleo hesitated.

            “Yes.

            They were getting closer to the coast, turning onto a highway that ran directly parallel to glittering coastline. They were still quite a ways off from home, but Piper had an idea.

            She pulled off at the next exit and parked at the side of a thicket of trees. Cleo looked confused until she switched off the ignition and pulled off her shoes. They stumbled their way past thin trunks and branches. Piper had to catch Cleo’s clumsy ass two times before they reached the water.

            Piper was about to get in when Cleo caught her arm and pulled her against a tree. The bark was rough on her back as she was pressed into it. Cleo leaned down to kiss her, and she stood on her toes to meet her halfway. Her mouth tasted of soda and, as always, salt. Warm brown hair fell past Cleo’s shoulders and encased their faces. Sunlight that poked through the canopy created a golden glow.

            She cupped Cleo’s face to hold her close, dipping her tongue up and down. Her partner’s hands pulled her shirt up and over her head. That broke the kiss, and Cleo grinned at her while she undid the buttons on Piper’s jeans. Piper felt her breath catch in her throat as her underwear was pulled down. She tilted her head back against the tree and closed her eyes.

            There was a huff of air on her abdomen, and then a splash. Piper looked to see a large ripple in the water. A blue fluke flicked once in her direction, then was gone.

            “Fucking hell,” Piper muttered, kicking the jeans from around her ankles. She dove into the warm water, feeling the now-familiar sense of total relief at transforming. The water cleared up as she sank into deeper water, she could see Cleo floating ahead of her.

            She was beautiful; her hair floated around her face, showing only her hazel eyes, glinting in the sunbeams. Piper didn’t know how she had gotten so lucky as to meet Cleo. She swam after her, fighting the onslaught of emotions that was becoming more and more common.

 

 

            Rikki woke with an aching neck the next day. She sat up and rubbed it, immediately checking her phone for messages. There was only one from Cleo, telling her to be at the Sertori’s at eleven. Nothing from Zane.

            Alright, maybe she had left his house in a hurry the previous morning. She wasn’t used to feeling so…much. It was unnerving, and she had wanted to be alone after spending the entire night there. Zane’s father was due back, so it made sense he hadn’t called. But she was worried. Worried for Zane, and worried for her suspicions about what had started the storm. She thought about Zane as she got dressed. Thought about how honest he had been about everything, how much he seemed to trust Rikki, even though she hadn’t returned the favor.

            She sat in her car for a minute before giving in and typing out a message.

            _We need to talk._

            The only cars in the drive were Cleo’s and Lewis’. Rikki groaned. More science crap. Her first glimpse of the living room confirmed it; Lewis had beakers of various size and petri dishes strewn across the coffee table. Cleo was in the middle of clipping one of her toenails. She looked up from her spot on the floor next to Piper.

            “Rikki. Hey.”

            “Hey.” She dropped into the armchair and rubbed at her eyes. “How’s it going?”

            “Good so far,” Lewis said. He was writing in black marker on a small tube that contained long brown hairs. Cleo handed him the clipping and he held out an empty petri dish. “You’re just in time,” Lewis told her, “If my calculations are correct with the samples Cleo gave me a few weeks ago, I may have some answers for you all.”

             "Cleo told me about... about the whole menstrual cycle thing... and I don't have access to any   proper equipment, but we were waiting on you to get a third reading."  
             "A reading?" Rikki looked around, hating being the only one not getting it.  
             "Vitals," Lewis said, picking up a stethoscope. Rikki said nothing as he pressed the cold metal against her upper chest.  
             "Surprise, surprise, she breathes," She said. Lewis hushed her. He measured her breathing, her pulse, and finally handed her a thermometer. She huffed and sat back while it worked. A minute later, he pulled it back. The mercury filled the small cylinder. Lewis frowned.  
            "What?" She asked sharply. Surely she wasn't about to be criticized on her bloody temperature.  
           "Rikki, it says 42 degrees."  
             She laughed, "Funny." Three completely serious pairs of eyes looked back at her.  
          "He's serious," Cleo said. "Mine is 34. Piper's is 27."

          Rikki frowned. "I should be dead. You should both be really ill, at the least."

  
          "Exactly," Lewis said, scribbling something down on a clipboard. "It's completely unprecedented. And the only explanation for your sudden... change of life."

  
         "Please never say that again," Cleo groaned into her hands. Rikki sat back in her chair and thought about that. She had never thought about kids, and who needed periods anyway?

  
         "But that's not the best part," Lewis said, moving back to the table.

  
         "Oh, mermaid menopause isn't the best part?"

  
          Lewis ignored Rikki and presented the toenail. Against her better judgement, Rikki leaned forward. He held a water dropper over the small dish. A few drops fell onto it, and Rikki squinted. After about eight seconds, the water was disturbed as the crescent-shaped clipping elongated into a reflective blue scale.

            “Ten seconds,” Lewis said matter-of-factly.

            “Whoa,” Piper whispered, leaning in. Rikki nodded in agreement, although it wasn’t anything too shocking. She was more interested in the tall jar of dirt on the far side of the table. She walked around Lewis to pick it up, turning it to read the label.

            “’Mako Island’? Is that what I think it is?”

            Cleo blushed, “Yeah. I took Lewis out to gather some things.”

            “And he felt the need to name it _Mako Island_?”

            “Well it’s a bit tedious to just call it ‘the island’ forever. And the region is known for having a high population of Mako sharks. It just seemed right,” Lewis stopped talking to unscrew a different dish. Rikki blinked, taken off guard at the rare display of creativity on Lewis’ part. She set the jar down and looked at the others. There were various dirt, sand, water, and even plant samples, all labeled with where they were found.

            “This,” Lewis gestured to the new petri dish, containing what appeared to be another of Cleo’s nails, “Is going to be submerged in water, just like the other. But I’ve treated it with this salve, made of vegetable oil and common moisturizer.”

            Rikki crouched down in anticipation, watching as he dropped water onto the nail. They all mentally counted, and Rikki made it to thirteen before realizing it wasn’t going to turn.

            “How does that work?” Piper asked. Cleo leaned slightly against her legs, Rikki noticed shrewdly. They sure seemed to be getting along well without her.

            “Well, oil is hydrophobic. It repels water. When you buy hydrophobic clothes, they’ve usually been treated with some sort of fat or greasy liquid. Usually. When applied to a porous surface, like your skin, the moisturizer will sink into your pores and push the oil to the surface, thus repelling water.”

            “Sounds alright,” Rikki said and held out her arm, “Let’s see how it works on the real thing.”

            Lewis nodded and picked up a spray bottle, lining Rikki’s arm with the thick liquid. It smelled slightly of perfume. He then took the water dropper and pulled it across her arm. She turned it, allowing the drops to fall off of her and onto the carpet. At the count of 6, she held her breath, praying her clothes wouldn’t be destroyed. Four beats later, nothing happened.

            “It works!” She said in disbelief. Lewis tried and failed to suppress a smile.

            “It’s brilliant,” Piper breathed. “I wonder if…” she and Lewis made eye contact, a silent question passing between them.

            “Way ahead of you,” he said. He filled the dropper with water and dropped it on Cleo’s arm without warning.

            “Lewis!” She complained, holding her arm away from her body. “These are my nice leggings!”

            She watched in consternation as he sprayed the mixture twice over the wet spot. Piper’s smile grew into a grin as nothing happened. Cleo looked at Rikki, eyes wide.

            “It works. It actually works.”

            “Pretty cool, Lewis.” Rikki smiled, genuinely hopeful for once that things could work out. “Can I take some of this?”

            “Sure, once I make more.”

            “Can I help? I’d like to test out some ideas, and you can obviously use me.”

            Lewis’ face twitched, and Cleo’s eyebrows rose.

            “…as a subject,” She clarified awkwardly. Rikki appraised the scene in front of her. Cleo looked as off put as she had when Lewis and that girl Charlotte had a thing back in year six. And Lewis was blushing to his neck. It didn’t help the situation that Piper was so damn smart, and every bit of a nerd as Lewis. A fact not lost on him. Or unwanted.

            “Right,” he coughed. “Anytime. Are you free tonight?”

            “Actually, no,” she said, saying something about a party. Rikki wasn’t paying attention; her phone had buzzed with a text from Zane.

            _Have a thing tonight. Wanna go?_

_What sort of thing?_

_A dress up thing._

Rikki didn’t answer right away. A dress up thing. It was probably a business dinner. Which meant she would be surrounded by people a lot richer, better dressed, and generally _better_ than her. It would also mean that his father would be there. That vile man.

            _Please?_

Please. God dammit. That got her and he knew it. She tried to weigh the pros and cons in her head. Quickly.

            _Pro: Zane will be there._

_Con: There will be other people there._

_Pro: Zane will be dressed up._

_Con: I will have to dress up._

_Pro: If he takes me, he won’t take another girl._

_Pro: He will be alone with his dad if I don’t go._

_Con: He’s avoiding the problem._

Rikki stared at her phone screen, knowing she was going to agree and hating herself for it. Because no matter how much she hated not knowing what was about to come, she really wanted to see him.

            She looked up to see Cleo watching her as Piper and Lewis carried on about the properties of animal fat or whatever. Her eyebrow raised in question. She knew. Of course she knew. She may not know exactly who, but Cleo was intuitive to a fault. And if history was any guide, she was going to be extremely annoying about it.

            She broke eye contact, looking down and typing her reply with trepidation.

            Idiot.

 

 

            Cleo sat at the long reading seat that lined the bay window of Piper’s bedroom. Small waves lapped against the shore across the steep lawn. As usual, the pull to be in the water was strong. A memory came unbidden, one of her and her parents on the _Lucinda_ when her dad first won it at an auction, a million years ago. She had sat in her dad’s lap and pretended to steer the ship while her mum took pictures.

            Mum was still at her sisters, if that’s even where she went, and Dad had been working late and coming home smelling like beer. Kim never wanted to talk about it, and Cleo had started to feel like she didn’t belong there. Like there was no family anymore, just a bunch of strangers living under a roof.

            “How do I look?” Piper stepped out of the bathroom for the first time in almost forty- five minutes. She was barefooted on the rug, wearing only a lacy black underwear set. But what she was talking about was her hair, which she had been meticulously pinning up. Cleo forced her eyes upward to the swirls and twists that now crowned the top of Piper’s head. The bottom half of her hair cascaded over her shoulder in rich curls. Cleo had no idea how anyone could be so good at that – how do you get such a good view of the back of your own head?

            Piper rolled onto the balls of her feet nervously, “You’re not answering. Did a pin fall out?” She looked in her mirror.

            Cleo drew her knees to her chin, smiling. “You look incredible. Is that what you’re wearing?”

            Piper did a small twirl, striding over. “Only for you,” she said playfully.

            “So will there be any people our age coming, or is it just old white men?” Piper drew one of her legs off of the cushions, instead climbing up and straddling Cleo, which was her favorite place to be, it would seem.

            “Well, Zane Bennet will be here.”

            “What? Are you kidding?” Cleo balked at the thought of being forced to socialize with Zane, much less Miriam or any equally heinous girl he would bring.

            “Sadly, no, I’m deadly serious,” She traced Cleo’s bottom lip with her pinkie, leaning in dangerously close. Cleo liked it a lot when Piper was the taller one. “…And my new friend Marnie will be here.”

            “Marnie? The one from golfing?”

            “That’s her,” Piper pressed their lips together, finger lingering between them. Cleo was trying to forget about how nervous she was, and Piper was doing a very good job of doing that for her. She kissed her back, hands squeezing her hips and grinding up. She let out a quiet gasp that Cleo _loved._ Their tongues met briefly before Piper pulled back. Cleo fought the urge to just throw her to the bed and have her way with her, but Piper pulled away.

            “Time to get ready,” she did a little dance over Cleo’s lap. “I can’t wait for you to see my dress.” She hopped off the seat and disappeared into her closet.

            “Get dressed!”

            Cleo sat up and looked at the black dress bag laid out on the bed. Piper had liked it so much…ugh. She unzipped it.

            The dress was a creamy off-white, something Piper called a “body-con” with a triangle-cut top. The lace trimming the bottom hem was the only part of it Cleo really liked. She pulled it up and struggled to get her arms through the right holes, pushing her breasts uncomfortably to make it look right. She looked at herself in the mirror. It looked good, she had to admit. She still thought it was too much for Piper’s parent’s dinner.

            Then Piper walked out, clacking in stiletto heels. Cleo’s heart lifted a bit, because at least next to _this_ she wouldn’t stand out. Her eyes started at the black bustier top that contrasted with a long pencil skirt lined in metallic ruffles. Chunky black jewelry and black heels framed it almost too well. Everyone would be looking at her.

            “What do you think?” She did a small curtsy, heels punctuating her movements. 

            Cleo knew she was grinning like an idiot. “You look gorgeous.”

            “Oh, stop,” She stood next to Cleo in the mirror, about five inches higher than usual, and Cleo zipped up the back of her dress. Piper smiled at her in the mirror. “You look straight off the runway. Let’s do something with your hair, though.” She considered the brushed out brown waves and shrugged. “It actually always looks perfect. I hate that. Let me change one thing.”

            She returned from her closet with a large hairpin, silver with a dark blue opal at the end. She brushed through the top of Cleo’s hair and parted it far to the side. She then twisted it back and stuck the pin in gently. Cold hands slid down Cleo’s arms.

            “Perfect.”

            “It’s beautiful.”

            “It was my grandmum’s.”

            “Wow.”

            While they were getting ready, the rest of the house had become even more extravagant than usual. Every mahogany surface had been dusted, every piece of furniture steamed to perfection. Tuxedoed caterers had set up in the kitchen, and it smelled incredible. The island was lined with actual silver platters covered in tin foil. Cleo’s mouth was watering, and Piper had to smack her hand away from a plate of deviled eggs.

            “No eating,” she said offhandedly, leading Cleo out of the kitchen, “Your dress is white and you are the clumsiest person I know. I’ll have to feed you myself if you get hungry.”

            While Cleo pondered that idea, Piper pulled her into the sitting room.

            “Oh, girls, you look lovely,” Her mother praised. She was perched on the couch, doing work on her computer. Her dark red hair was twisted elegantly at the back of her head. She wore a black dress paired with a beaded black blazer. “Guests will be arriving soon, its nearly sunset.”

            “Do you need help with anything before they get here?”

            “No, I think we should be-“ they were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Martin! Get the door!” Piper’s mom called. She snapped the computer shut and hurried to put it away.

            The party kicked off pretty quickly, with people of various older ages arriving within the hour. Piper seemed to know everyone already, and she absolutely flowered under all the attention. Cleo tried to stay out of the way.

            Seizing a moment, she snuck off to the kitchen to sneak a lady finger or two (or three). Piper found her gazing at the water through the open doors.

            “I was looking for you,” she said, sipping a glass of champagne, “I can’t believe my house can fit this many people.”

            Cleo could believe it. The place was _packed._ It felt like a concert arena, not a house.

            “You’re parents work with all these people?”

            “Work, old clients, people from Uni…they know them from everywhere.” Piper was leading her through the throngs. Not even the staccato of her heels could be heard over the din. Her story about a past work party-turned-bender stopped suddenly as something happened. For the first time ever, Piper tripped on her heels.

            Her champagne glass dropped to the carpet with a dull thud, and she fell with her full weight on Cleo’s arm.

            “Jesus, Pipes,” Cleo supported her as she steadied herself. “Piper?”

            But Piper was staring open-mouthed at the front door. Cleo followed her gaze, toward the newest addition to the party.

            Mr. Bennet was shaking Piper’s dad’s hand enthusiastically. Behind him was Zane, giving them both a tight smile. And on Zane’s arm…well, it wasn’t Miriam.

            Cleo stared at the pale and terrified Rikki looking back at them, all three girls frozen in place.

            “I need another drink,” Piper croaked, making for the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I hope I actually still have people reading this... I've been writing more recently and after I move back home in a few weeks with no friends and nothing to do I'll be writing a lot more. Please leave feedback and boost my ego!!!!!  
> See u soon xxx


	12. Cabaret

            Rikki and Zane. Piper couldn’t believe it. She clung to Cleo’s arm in shock. Across the hall, in the doorway, Rikki was blushing deep red from her cheeks to her chest – nearly matching the color of her dress. She tugged Cleo toward the door and plastered a smile across her face.

            Piper’s dad noticed her and threw out an arm, grinning genially.

            “Ah, Piper! Harrison, this is my daughter. It’s been a while since you saw the Bennet’s, darling,” he told her. “Me and Harrison here went to school together.”

            “Pleasure,” She said, shaking Mr. Bennet’s hand.

            “And look,” her dad continued, “You didn’t tell us Rikki would be coming – and with Zane here, no less. Small world, isn’t it?”

            “ _So_ small,” Piper stepped back. Rikki had yet to say a word, and Zane just looked awkward. There was a beat of uncomfortable silence that Piper’s dad seemed to catch on to, and he and Mr. Bennet disappeared into the crowd to meet and greet.

            The four of them stood across from one another in the tightly packed space. The bustle of bodies and many voices washed over them. Piper looked between Rikki and Cleo, waiting for someone to speak. Finally, she couldn’t take any more.

            “I didn’t know you two were…friends.” It came out as a question. She looked pointedly at their arms and Rikki pulled away from Zane. He opened his mouth, but seemed to falter under Piper’s gaze. Not surprising – this look had warned many a private-school bitch out of her way.

            Zane cleared his throat, “I’ll, er, be right back.”

            Rikki watched him go and sighed. “Thanks for that.”

            “And you came to my party. Together.”

            “Well, no one _invited_ me, or maybe I’d be here with you.” Rikki said.

            “Cleo told me you didn’t want to come.” They both looked at the brunette.

            “You practically fled from my house this morning – what was I supposed to think?”

            Rikki raised her eyebrows. “Well, you kind of dropped a bomb on me.”

            “What do you mean?” Piper asked. Cleo’s stormy expression didn’t falter. There was a stretch of silence broken by a particularly loud voice booming through the house. Mr. Cooper. Piper perked up at the opportunity to get away.

            “I’m going to go say hi to some more people…be right back.”

            She left her friends to their staring match and struggled to find Marnie’s blonde head over the crowd. God, did everyone have to be so damn tall? What was the point of stilettos if you couldn’t see shit anyway.

            She heard her name called from the back patio, and saw Marnie waving her out. The air was warm and humid. Her eyes went immediately to the ocean, an instinct she had gotten used to, then toward the tall blonde.

            “Marnie! You look amazing!” They hugged briefly, then she found herself being held at arm’s length.

            “You do! Where did you get this dress?”

            “I had it tailored at Marindale’s.”

            “I love it. Show me to the drinks?”

            “This way,” She led her back inside, using Marnie’s tall form as a human windbreak against the tall lawyers. The kitchen was loud, and the drink dispenser was already half empty. Marnie poured a glass and tasted it.

            “Not strong enough,” she cast a furtive glance around the room, “Come here.” She pulled Piper against the cabinets and pulled a small flask from her pocket.

            “Want a taste?”

            “Of course,” She took a sip. It was bitter and sharp. Vodka.

            “Jesus,” she giggled, swallowing. Marnie poured a shots worth into her own cup with a devious grin.

            “Ugh, I’m so glad to see you. I went to a thing like this last week with _no one_ under forty. No one to flirt with but the wait staff.”

            “Well we have plenty of wait staff, if that’s your thing. Or you can come meet my friends in the other room.”

            “Gladly.”

            Rikki and Zane had ended up in the sitting room, on the loveseat in the corner. Cleo was gone. Uh-oh. Piper should have known they couldn’t work things out without her guidance.

            “Rikki, Zane, this is Marnie. Marnie, this is my friend Rikki and… and Zane’s dad is here, so he was forced to come, too.”

            “Nice to meet you all.”

            “Likewise,” Rikki said.

            “And how do you know each other?”

            “Er…school. We went to school together.”

            Marnie nodded, “And you said your dad is here?” This was directed at Zane, who had definitely not said that, or anything else at all, for that matter. He just nodded.

            “What’s he like?”

            “He’s alright. Enjoys his work.”

            “That’s something. My dad had some nice things to say about him,” Piper added. “They went to school together,” She looked at Marnie, and they both laughed.

            Marnie took a sip and glanced around the room. “What uni did they go to?”

            “Notre Dame,” Zane answered.

            “Ugh, my dad would love if I went there. He keeps pushing me to apply to Monash, as if I would ever get in.”

            They got into a discussion about university, one Piper really could do without. She sat on the arm of the chair and leaned down to Rikki’s ear.

             “Where’d Cleo run off to?”

            “I don’t know. She said she needed air.” She paused and looked at Piper seriously. “Are you upset with me?”

            “No! Why would I be?”

            Rikki exhaled sharply, “The same reason Cleo is, I guess. I should have told her.”

            “She’ll get over it. I mean, is he really so terrible?”

            Rikki nodded, “Yeah. At least, he used to be.”

            “Oh. Well, I’ll talk to her.”

            “I’d appreciate. Is there alcohol here?”

            “Duh, the red punch in the kitchen.”

            “Thank God. I’ll ask Zane if he wants any.”

            “And I’ll go find Cleo.”

            Piper turned toward the back doors, getting caught briefly in conversation with Mr. Michaels, one of Mum’s creepier partners. She broke away claiming use of the loo and ducked outside. It was still warm, but the humidity had been pulled away by a cool breeze. Cleo’s dress stood out against the darkness where she stood at the edge of the porch, facing the water.

            “Hey, what’s the matter?” Cleo didn’t look at her. “Christ, it’s windy out here.”

            “She’s with _him.”_

            “So what? Who cares?”

            “She _lied_ to me about it. She never lies. And they’ve hated each other for years. This just isn’t like her.”

            “Are you seriously saying it’s not like Rikki to be a little secretive? Even I know that’s a stretch.”

            “She’s been so distant,” Cleo continued, ignoring Piper’s comment, “I thought she was just being moody but now I know it’s…it’s because of him.”

            “Cleo, you don’t think we’ve been doing the same to her? Are you maybe feeling a bit guilty about spending all your time with me?” Piper knew she did. She just hadn’t wanted to admit to herself that she was coming between friends. Cleo turned around.

            “What does that mean?” A sharp gust of wind whistled past them, blowing her hair forward.

            “Well, we’re together and maybe we’ve been blind to how much time –“

            “It’s not the same.”

            Piper huffed a laugh, “How? We’re not together?”

            Cleo’s face turned from angry to confused. “That’s not what I meant.”

            “What did you mean?”

            Cleo’s mouth worked, but she didn’t say anything. The wind died down. Piper waited for her to say something, but it never came.

            “You know what? Don’t worry about it. And when you’re done moping, Rikki could really use a friend, not a whinger.”

            She ripped open the doors and stalked inside as Cleo called her name. So that’s how Cleo thought of them. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know and now Piper knew why. She poured a cup of the punch and drank all of it down, feeling alcohol burn in her stomach. She took her second cup into the pantry and closed the door halfway, taking a breath to herself.

            This was an overreaction, she knew. But it was all very familiar. She thought of Darwin, and her life there.

            _This isn’t Brianne,_ she told herself, _Cleo isn’t Brianne._

            She took another drink, thinking of how much better her life was now. She had no reason to be thinking about old drama. Just then, the door cracked open, letting in a shaft of light.

            “Piper?” Marnie opened the door. “I just saw you come in here. Not enough food in the kitchen?,” she laughed at her own joke.

            “I was just about to look for you, come in,” Piper tried to wipe her eyes nonchalantly. “Got any more in that flask?”

            “For you? Of course,” she unscrewed the lid and poured a bit into Piper’s cup. “Are you sure you don’t want any food?”

            Piper shook her head, “I hardly fit into this dress as it is.” She took a few gulps, hearing a buzzing in her ears.

            “I think it looks rather nice,” The door shut with a click behind her, and she moved closer to Piper. “I like you, Piper.”

            “I like you, too,” Piper said earnestly. “I’m lucky to have made so many friends here.”

            _Here, I’m here. Not in Darwin._

            A hand landed on the small of her back. It was dark, and blue eyes glinted in front of her. Too light and too low to be Cleo’s eyes. Piper’s left heel wobbled under her. She felt a little woozy – maybe she should step out and grab some food. Something light, like a biscuit.

            “I’ve never met anyone like you,” Marnie breathed. Her breath was like ice, minty and cool. The hand on Piper’s back pulled her forward and into Marnie’s body, and then cool lips were pressed against hers.

 

            Rikki listened to Zane and the blonde talk about school for what felt like years before Cleo came back into the house, waving her over. She gladly left the conversation. In the hallway, she could see Mr. Bennet talking to a group of people, impossibly charming. It made her skin crawl.

            “I’m sorry.”

            “I’m sorry.”

            They spoke in unison. Cleo cleared her throat.

            “I’m being an idiot. I’m not really mad, I promise.”

            “I shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”

            Cleo pursed her lips. “Do you really like him?”

            Rikki shrugged, “Yeah. I can’t explain it.”

            Cleo looked her up and down, “Did you tell him about…”

            “No.” Not yet, anyway. Rikki decided she would feel guilty about that when the time came.

            “Good. That would be a bad idea.”

            “Right.”

            Rikki gave her a smile, equal parts forced and genuine. She was glad Cleo wasn’t mad. There was nothing worse than a sulky, angry Cleo. She wondered what Piper had said to change her mind.

            She almost turned away when there was a strong grip on her wrist. Cleo’s face was stricken, sad.

            “Cleo?”

            “Mum left,” Cleo said quietly.

            Rikki stepped closer, heart sinking. “What?”

            “Yesterday. She left while I was with Dad on the boat. Went up North.”

            Rikki struggled for words, but couldn’t come up with anything satisfactory. So she just pulled her best friend into a hug.

            “Come sit with us?”

            Cleo took a shaky breath. “Sure.”

            They all managed to make conversation for a good while, but Zane mostly listened while Rikki and Cleo talked. All traces of their whispered conversation were gone and Cleo seemed totally normal, which was how Rikki knew she wasn’t okay. In fact, she realized that Cleo hadn’t mentioned her home life almost at all since all the mermaid shit started.

 Piper and her friend returned a while later. Piper, noticeably smashed, and Blondie, looking bashful.

            “There’s all my friends,” Piper half-sang, sinking onto Rikki’s lap. Rikki struggled to accomodate her weight and keep her from falling onto the floor. “Is everyone having a good time at the party?” Her words were slurred. Rikki tried not to laugh.

            “Seems like you are,” she said. Zane had slid as far as the chair would allow to avoid the danger of getting kicked with a stiletto. Marnie looked uncomfortable, and so did Cleo. Piper was the only one seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room.

            “I wanna do something fun,” Piper said, “I wanna go _swimming_.”

            Cleo stood up.

            “It’s getting a little late, maybe you should go to bed.”

            “Yes,” Rikki agreed. “Bed.”

            “Yeah,” Marnie stood up, “I should find my parents. Good to meet you all.” She left without another word. Weird.

            “Too early for bed,” Piper argued, “And _you”_ she pointed a manicured finger in Cleo’s direction, “Don’t get to tell me what to do.”

            Cleo crossed her arms.

            “Yeah…we should get going soon, too,” Zane said. Rikki couldn’t agree more.

            “I’ll take her upstairs,” Cleo said. She pulled Piper to her feet despite weak protests.

            “Have fun taking care of that,” Zane said, half joking. Piper laughed, and at the same time almost broke a heel tripping over her shoe. Cleo led her away while Rikki and Zane were left alone.

            “That was a disaster,” Rikki said, pushing her hair out of her face. He nodded. “Can we go?”

            “Yeah. I’ll tell my dad I’m taking you home.”

            “Sure.”

            He strode off, and Rikki was able to appreciate once again how good he looked in a suit. The night really had become a disaster. She had been reluctant to come in the first place, and now that Cleo and Rikki knew about Zane everything was so… messy.

            The night air was warm, and the stars were out. It was lovely. They began their walk down to the street.

            “That went better than I expected,” Zane said thoughtfully.

            “Christ. What were you expecting?”

            Their hands brushed together as they walked.

            “I mean, it was a lot more interesting after everyone got drunk.”

            “You mean Piper?”

            He looked at her, “And everyone else. Weren’t you paying attention? That crowd was wild.”

            Rikki shook her head. “Guess not.”

           

 

            “Let go of me,” Piper drawled. She pushed Cleo away only to stumble over her bedroom carpet and almost collapse. Cleo caught her from behind and helped her to the floor.

            “At least take your shoes off.” She knelt down to undo the straps. Piper watched her indignantly. “I didn’t know you were such a light weight.”

            “Just go home,” she said. Cleo looked up. “You don’t…” she closed her eyes, “You don’t want to be my girlfriend. You don’t love me. So just go home.”

            “I do love you,” Cleo said, without thinking. They both stopped, surprised at what had just come out of her mouth. But she realized as soon as she said it that it was absolutely true. “I _am_ your girlfriend. I’m sorry about what I said. I really am. It was awful.”

            Piper’s face twisted and before Cleo knew it, she was crying. Cleo stared.

            “Please don’t cry.” She abandoned her work on the shoes and pulled Piper in for a hug. Her heart sank when Piper pushed her away again.

            “I don’t want mascara on your dress,” she sniffled, wiping at the mascara running down her cheeks. Cleo sat back.

            “Marnie kissed me tonight.” Her eyes didn’t leave the carpet. A strange feeling lanced through Cleo’s chest. She shook her head.

            “I deserve that.”

            “No, you don’t.” Piper pulled expertly at the straps of her shoes, and they fell off. She stood up, pulling Cleo with her. “I stopped it. I told her that…that you were my girlfriend. And when she kissed me,” She looked up at Cleo, eyes wide, “All I could think about was you.”

            Cleo dropped her head to Piper’s shoulder. The shorter girl sniffed again, shifting her weight.

            “I know we’re having a moment, but I would really like to take these pins out of my hair and I know my face gets red and puffy when I cry so I’d like to take care of that, too.”

            Cleo tried to kiss her, but she squirmed away.

            “I won’t let you kiss me when I’m gross,” she said, stumbling to the bathroom. After she washed her face, she allowed Cleo to sit her at the foot of the bed and pull out the many hairpins. Her loose hair was beautiful and silky, and when all of the pins were out she collapsed across the bed.

            “Sleep.” She didn’t respond when Cleo unzipped the back of her dress, or when she had to shimmy it out from under her. Cleo was sure she was in some way damaging the dress irreparably, or equally offending all of fashion by letting the dress touch the carpet in the first place. She hung the dress up carefully and managed to unzip her own dress, thankful for the ability to breathe again. She didn’t bother to put underwear on, and when she walked out of the closet Piper sat up, eyes wide.

            “You’re naked.”

            Cleo just laughed at the obvious statement, turning off the lights and climbing onto the bed. Piper latched onto her side once they were under the covers, arms winding around her middle.

            “Can I kiss you?” Cleo asked. Piper pressed their lips together with all the enthusiasm of a newborn puppy. And all the grace. She mouthed sloppily along Cleo’s neck.

            “You’re drunk,” Cleo said. Piper licked a stripe up her neck, biting down on her earlobe. “Seriously, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

            “Don’t I?” She kissed Cleo again, trying and failing to act sober. Her leg moved between Cleo’s

            “Turn around,” Cleo said. Piper sighed in defeat and complied. Cleo pulled her in close. It was her favorite way of sleeping, and although there were still guests downstairs, and it wasn’t even late, she felt her eyes grow heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cabaret - Moon Taxi  
> Great song for a great party.


	13. Cold Front

           The full moon stared up at all of them from Lewis’ computer screen. He was busy charting the exact time the moon would rise that night. They were all anxious about it, but Lewis was going far and above to figure out how to keep them safe, and they were all – mostly – appreciative.

            Rikki tried to follow what the website was telling them, but there were too many numbers and angles to keep track of. Lewis seemed to get it, though, because he was rambling.

            “It should set at almost 6:45 exactly. That gives us enough time to get everything ready.” He turned from his spot on the floor to look up at them on the couch. “Remember. The plan is to stay inside until the moon sets. No windows, no doors.”

            “Sounds like a blast,” Rikki deadpanned, crossing her arms. “I’ll bring the popcorn.”

            “Ha, ha. Look, I’m just trying to keep you all safe. Something bad could happen to you or someone else when you’re in moon-mode.”

            Rikki thought of Zane, nearly running her over on the road last month. The only way she would agree to sit around watching Lewis and Piper work on that lotion mixture together all day was if it meant she could start worrying a little less about mermaid stuff.

            “So you’ll be staying at my house, too, right?” Piper asked Lewis.

            “I don’t think that’s necess—“

            “Lewis, come on,” Cleo argued, “You’re the only one who won’t be affected. If something _does_ happen…”

            “Nothing will happen,” he said. “And besides… I’m going to be on Mako island.”   “What?” Rikki turned her full attention to the conversation. “You’re going to the island?”

            “I need to observe the water inside the volcano. If everything happens the way you all said it did…Well, I need to record it. There _is_ a scientific explanation to all of this. I know it.”

            Rikki bit her nail. If Lewis could find some sort of cure for their… _condition…_ that would be amazing. Albeit sad. She was still on the fence about everything.

            “That could be dangerous,” Piper said, “What if something happens to you there? Even going out there at night on your boat could be bad. You named it _Mako_ Island for a reason.”

            “In the name of science, I would risk anything.”

            Even Piper groaned at that one. Lewis could be such a prick sometimes. But there was nothing they could say to persuade him not to go. Not that Rikki cared.

 

 

            The girls decided to enjoy their last hours of freedom over the reef. Cleo kept an eye on Rikki, glad that the whole Zane secret was behind them.  
            _Not the only secret,_ a small voice said in the back of her head. Well, that was certainly true. There was no easy way to broach the topic of her being gay _and_ dating Piper in one go. And if Rikki responded the way Cleo had at the party… yikes. She wasn’t proud of that one. And then there was the fact that Cleo hadn’t told anyone but Rikki about her mum. It probably was something she should tell Piper, but that wasn’t easy, either. Mostly, Cleo didn’t want to talk about it. Seeing Piper and her perfect family every day was bad enough. She didn’t need to be pitied, too.

            Everything was swirling tones of blue and green, a nice distraction from her dark thoughts. The fish were out in shimmering schools, darting away from them and hiding within the stony corridors of the reef. She reached her fingers out and a silvery fish wriggled past them. She hoped Kim was taking care of her fish at home, like she promised.

A boat sped far overhead, churning up the water and increasing the erratic shimmering of sunlight. The three of them instinctively drew back to the shadows.

            They surfaced off the shore, blinking water out of their eyes.

            “Never thought I’d be having a sleepover with _Lewis_ ,” Rikki said with distaste.

            “Says the one dating _Zane Bennet,_ ” Piper splashed some water into Rikki’s face, giggling. Her hair, dark with water, sat starkly on her pale skin. Despite all their time in the water, neither Rikki or Piper had anything other than porcelain skin.

            They walked along the beach together, toes in the sand and a breeze whipping their hair. It was good. It was right.

           

           

           

            With the guise of saying she was going home to grab clothes for the sleepover, Rikki slunk back into the water. There were still a few hours before sunset, and she needed to be alone for a while. A feeling that was becoming increasingly common. The sea constantly seemed to call to her now.

            She watched the surfers for a while, laying with her back against the sand. It could have been thirty feet, but she wasn’t sure. When she got bored with that, she swam along the coastline, not really paying attention to her surroundings.

            There was a grinding sound above her, and she looked up. It looked like the same boat they had seen earlier, but it was hard to be sure and there were tons of boats over there at that time of day. She followed it idly, swimming in the shadow it cast on the seafloor.

            Having lost track of time, she surfaced to get her bearings. She was surprised to see the Bennet’s boat rocking toward its dock slowly, trying to counter the late-afternoon waves. The ridiculous house reflected the first rays of sunset in its overlarge windows. The girls would get worried about her soon.

            Rikki swam closer hesitantly. She hadn’t come here on purpose, but she might as well see what was going on. Mr. Bennett was supposed to be away for the weekend, and Zane had said he hated taking the boat out alone. As the light faded, she was made aware of how well her vision was in the water now. Every grain of sand that floated in the water seemed visible to her as she drifted out of clearer waters and into the shore.

            She came up below the deck, shoulder bumping against the fiberglass siding. It was slimy with barnacles. She struggled to make out the two voices from above.

            “…about her.”

            “You don’t know what’s good for you.” Mr. Bennet’s voice stood out against the other, loud and authoritative. She heard footsteps.

            “I’m telling you, she’s different.” Zane. Quieter than usual; more unsure.

            “And whatever happened to Miriam? That’s the sort of girl that looks good on your arm. Not trailer park trash. And that’s all I want to hear about it, understand?”

            Rikki’s mouth nearly fell open, barely missing a mouthful of seawater as a small swell pushed her back. So they both knew. Zane knew everything about her life that she had tried so hard to push down; to ignore. And they thought she was trash. Trailer park trash. Years of school-yard taunts came crashing back to her, being bullied on the bus, kicked on the playground. It had been Cleo who defended her; brown pigtails and purple braces and unmitigated empathy.

            Zane didn’t say anything, though, and that was worse. No more voices floated to her across the wind. She should have gone to the silent ocean at that point, gone home and forgotten about all of it. But her tail pushed her forward of its own accord, and she watched Mr. Bennet walk down the wooden planks. Zane must have still stood on the deck. She didn’t hear him, she couldn’t see him. She stayed close to the barnacled side, waiting for the overflow of heat and emotion to hit her.

            But it didn’t come.

            Instead, she felt nothing. A cold, creeping nothing. And maybe, underneath all of that, she hurt. Maybe she hurt a lot. She pushed off of the boat and let the tide pull her below the waves, where saltwater was no different from the salt escaping her eyes.

 

           

           “…and that should do it,” Cleo said, jumping down from the cushioned seat. Piper’s bedroom was now moon-proof. A heavy black sheet hung over the wide window, and they had brought up all the food they needed to avoid going outside. Piper had spent the afternoon creating a bed of blankets on the floor. Cleo thought that was kind of dumb, considering the huge bed could have fit all three of them, but she wanted to let Piper have her fun.

Rikki set her bag on the floor. She had nearly been late.

            “What now?” Cleo dropped to the blanket-bed and crossed her legs.

            “Now…” Piper produced a DVD case from nowhere. It boasted a typical horror movie cover; girl in distress and a man savior separated by a comically superimposed knife. Piper looked around in excitement. Cleo shot Rikki a look, but Rikki wasn’t paying Piper any attention. Her eyes were downcast and she just nodded, sitting on the floor next to Cleo. That was odd, she had seemed to be in such good spirits earlier.

            They started the film. Cleo struggle to follow the plot, but Rikki was being moody one side of her, Piper was being unusually chipper on her other side, and Lucas was going out to Mako island in a few hours. Alone and defenseless. Her attention was split between the three of them.

            Despite her distractions, she found the first couple of movies genuinely scary. Rikki was eating furiously from a bowl of popcorn with what could only be called scorn. Something was really bothering her. Cleo had never seen someone eat so angrily.

            Two movies later, Cleo’s phone buzzed with a text from Lewis.

            _On the way out. Night’s clear, don’t worry about me._

Cleo glanced at the curtain-covered window. It was fully nighttime out there – 10:45.

            “Lewis is leaving,” she said. Rikki snorted.

            “He’s such a dumbass.”

            Cleo sort of agreed.

            The movie played on, reaching its climax as the killer closed in on a crying girl. Cleo checked her phone again and again.

            “It’s only been fifteen minutes,” Piper said, shoving popcorn into her mouth, “It takes twice that to get to Mako.” Her eyes were glued to the movie. Cleo noticed her hand tapping the floor. She leaned over to her, lowering her voice to a whisper.

            “What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing,” she said, not looking away from the screen. She hadn’t made direct eye contact with Cleo all night. She thought it had to do with Rikki being there, and the whole deal with Cleo not wanting anyone to know about them or whatever, but tonight wasn’t the night for grand revelations. On screen, a busty blonde woman crept down a hall lit only by a flashlight. She looked down at her phone.

            “He still hasn’t texted.” Rikki and Piper shushed her.

            _Alright?_ She typed into the text field. It sent, and said that it delivered.

            “Don’t do it,” Rikki said. The blonde was holding a hand over a decrepit door handle. “Don’t go in there.”

            She opened the door, and there was a flash of lightening on the screen that made both Rikki and Piper jump. Cleo was showered in popcorn.

            “Sorry,” Piper whispered loudly. She picked the pieces off of Cleo’s lap, popping them in her mouth.

            _Found the entrance,_ Lewis said, _going down now._ Cleo sighed in relief.

In the movie, there was yet another jump scare. Piper gasped, flinching to hide her head behind a blanket. Lewis kept her updated whenever the messages would send. He had made his way through the now-existent hole in the rocks and was setting up a camera.

            About an hour later, Rikki rolled to her side and pulled a blanket over her head without a word. Piper was asleep with her hand curled around the remote, and before Cleo knew it she was nodding off on the floor next to her.

            There was a brief interlude where she hovered between sleeping and not sleeping. Her anxiety for Lewis had dulled when he made it to solid ground, but she still worried about him. The sound of the air conditioner droned above the ambient summer night noises from outside. The house creaked slightly and Cleo shifted when there was a noise beside her. The blankets over them pulled as Piper sat up. She padded away, presumably to the bathroom. Cleo turned her face into the pillow as a light flicked on beyond her closed eyelids.

            Some time passed, maybe seconds, maybe minutes, before there was the faint, yet harsh, sound of broken glass.

            Cleo reached out for Piper, gripping empty blankets instead. Opened her eyes, shaking her hair out of the way.

            “Rikki, what time is it?” She shook out the mess of blankets, looking for her phone.

            There was no response from the Rikki-shaped mound of blankets.

            “Rikki!” She found her phone. “It’s half past midnight.” She had been asleep for less than an hour.

            The bathroom was dark, but the hallway light was on. Cleo went to the top of the stairs, hesitating. Then she remembered that the Piper’s parents weren’t home, and she called out her name, loudly. No answer. They weren’t supposed to be outside of the bedroom at all, due to the extreme abundance of windows in the house. She ran her fingers through her hair.

            “Rikki, wake up,” Cleo tapped the motionless mound. There was a beat of silence, then Rikki jerked with a gasp.

            “What the hell,” she said from inside the blankets. She seemed to wrestle with them for a second before Cleo ripped them off.

            “Piper’s gone.”

            “Who…oh.” Rikki blinked and sat up on one elbow. “Like, _gone_ gone?”

            “I think she went downstairs, but she’s not answering and I’m scared to go alone.”

            “Okay, okay,” Rikki wiped at her eyes, and Cleo realized that they were wet. She didn’t say anything. “Let’s go.”

            “Wait,” Cleo held her close, more scared than she had been watching the movie. “What if one of us sees the moon on accident?”

            Rikki frowned, “Do you want to go down there or not?”

            Cleo nodded, biting her lip.

            “Okay,” the blonde sighed, “We’ll just look at the floor.”

            “Okay,” Cleo said, needing direction.

            They crept down the stairs, Cleo refusing to let go of Rikki’s arm. She trained her eyes on the dark hardwood, which was more difficult than she would have thought. At the base of the stairs, she felt a warm draft.

            “Well, the door’s open,” Rikki said. Cleo smacked her on the arm.

            “You looked?”

            “It’s fine. I can’t see the moon from back here.”

            Cleo lifted her head, looking down the hallway to the back door, wide open. The moon, at its zenith, hung somewhere above the frame of the door, but the night was clearly aglow with its light.

            “She left,” Cleo whispered, terrified. Cold panic seeped into her blood. She remembered that her phone was in her hand. Hands shaking, she called Lewis. He answered on the third ring, by the grace of God, honestly.

            “Lewis, where are you?”

            “I’m in the cave. You were right about the –“

            “Piper left.”

            “ _What?_ ”

            “Piper…” Rikki continued to stare straight ahead with a frown, and it was starting to freak Cleo out. “She’s gone.”

            “How did you manage that? I thought you were locked up for the night?”

            “Listen, Lewis, I think she might come to you. That’s where Rikki went, and it’s maybe where I went, and…” Rikki had held her hand out for the phone.

            “Lewis, don’t listen to anything she says, and don’t let her leave. We’re on the way.” She ended the call as Lewis yelled something back.

            “You think we should go after her?” Cleo didn’t understand what Rikki was talking about, but the thought of going into the water right now was backwards and wrong.

            Rikki nodded, putting her hands on Cleo’s shoulders. “Just keep your hand over your eyes.”

            Cleo nodded. Rikki was doing that thing she did whenever Cleo was upset; where she took charge of the situation, and it was working. Because if she was just following orders she wouldn’t have time to worry about what would happen if they blacked out again.

            Her eyes must have been wide with panic, because Rikki gripped her tighter. “Hey, she’s just going to go to Mako, like I did. And Lewis is there to watch her. It’s going to be fine.”

            If it's going to be fine, Cleo thought, why are we going after her? But she kept quiet. They put their hands over their eyes, only watching their feet as they moved through the kitchen. Rikki paused, looking down. Cleo followed her gaze. There was shattered glass on the floor behind her, right in front of the kitchen sink. The pool of water ended just inches from her feet. That must have been what woke her up.

            “The reflection,” Rikki muttered.

            “What?”

            Rikki’s eyes were wide and blank. “She must have been getting water, seen the reflection of the moon in the glass, and dropped it.”

            Cleo tightened her grip on Rikki’s arm. “That’s crazy.”

            “I – just don’t look at the reflection.”

            She pulled them out to the lawn before Cleo could say anything else. She wanted to stop, to take a minute to think about what they were doing, but if she was being honest with herself the need to be in the water was stronger than normal.

She also felt like a complete idiot running across the lawn with her hand over her eyes, but at least Rikki looked just as dumb. The two of them scampered to the edge of the water, Rikki at least was in pajamas. Cleo only had a long shirt and underwear. Rikki stopped her from stripping them off.

            “Take your pants.”

            As usual, Cleo didn’t question her.

            They dove into the darkness of the water, and Cleo was completely overcome with sensation. Her mouth almost filled up with seawater, but she held in her gasp. Something was different tonight. Everything seemed to _pulse_ around her. The water, of course, undulated back and forth with the tide, but that wasn’t the only thing.

            Rikki flicked her green tail, sinking and tying her pajama bottoms around her waist. Cleo, out of options, wound her underwear around her wrist.

            Rikki pointed, motioning for them to go. Her black shirt swayed around her tail. Her movements created strong pulsating sensations in Cleo’s brain. It was disorienting, but she couldn’t exactly ask if Rikki was feeling it too while underwater. They had to get to Piper. Cleo Rikki against her chest and created a current that shot them forward. It had never been so easy for her to control, and she felt like they were going much faster than ever before.

            That same pulsing sensation seemed to push against her skin. A flicker to her left, a movement beneath them. She didn’t understand what it was, but made sure to push them faster as they crossed the deepest part of the route. The light was better closer to the surface, and she stuck there so she could see where they were going. Rikki wound her arms around Cleo and pressed her face to the crook of her neck.

            The rocky mass of Mako Island loomed ahead of them, but Cleo knew exactly where it was before she could see it. The island seemed to be pulsing even stronger than the shallows by the house had been. It was almost nauseating.

            She slowed them down and tapped Rikki, who released her shakily. Cleo motioned for them to go up, covering her eyes with her hand. Rikki nodded, and they bobbed up.

            “Let’s go through the top,” Rikki said from behind her hand. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to into the pool right now.”

            Cleo wanted to ask what she meant by that, but decided it didn’t matter. She just nodded, then realized Rikki couldn’t see her. She tugged her back under and they followed the rocks around to the beach side.

They were near a thick patch of coral when Cleo felt it. A large movement behind them that stood out from the rest. She turned around with a flick of her tail, looking into the darkness behind her. The movement came again, a little stronger this time.

            Through her general panicked frenzy of thoughts, a sort of primal instinct kicked in. She darted forward and grabbed the end of Rikki’s tail. The blonde started, spinning around with an annoyed expression. She looked past Cleo’s shoulder, and a stream of bubbles left her mouth in a startled cry. She grabbed Cleo and pushed her against the rocks at the sea floor. It hurt. Cleo looked up as Rikki flattened herself next to Cleo, looking out past them with wide eyes.

            Then, out of the darkness, the long, lithe shape of a Mako shark swam lazily past them. Only about ten feet away.

            Rikki held her hand out in front of her. The water between them and the shark began to bubble, sending a multitude of vibrations into Cleo’s head. The shark darted away, and she felt its presence grow smaller and smaller.

            She let Rikki pull them along until the water began to shallow out, head still spinning.

            Cleo dumped them on the sand with a swell of water. Lewis’ boat was sitting on the sand, dragged up a few feet from the shore. It was ominously dark and empty.

            “Cover your eyes,” Rikki reminded her harshly. “Can’t have you going bananas on me, too.”

Traces of fear made Cleo’s breathing quick and shallow. Peeking through her fingers, Rikki dried them off. They pulled their clothes on for one awkward moment and then ran into the trees.

            Cleo realized pretty quickly that this was really hard without shoes. Or pants. God, if someone had told her a year ago that she would be running around an uncharted island in her underwear in the middle of the night…

            “How did you see the shark?” She called, pushing a sharp branch out of the way.

            “It was right in front of us,” Rikki snapped, as though it were obvious. Cleo bit back a retort. She hadn't seen it until it was practically snapping at their tails. It had to be nearly twenty minutes since they had left the house. Honestly, she wouldn't have been so worried if it weren't for Rikki, tearing through the jungle like something awful was happening. Naturally, that made Cleo all the more scared.

            The found their way, scraped up and bleeding, to the hidden entrance. Someone, Lewis, had tied a rope to the base of the nearest tree. It led down the hole. They both slid to the bottom with grunts of pain.

            “Lewis?” Cleo’s voice echoed ethereally off the stone walls. They looked at each other. Rikki was pale. Cleo ran through the tunnel, noting the brightness as she neared the cavern. The walls opened up in front of her, lit by brilliant white moonlight.

            She saw what was in front of her.

She screamed.

 

 

            Rikki couldn’t get that fucking dream out of her head. It took Cleo’s panicked shriek for her to snap out of it and pick up the pace. The high-pitched note echoed in frustrating tones as she burst into the stone room. She didn’t look up, but the moon must have been directly overhead. It was too bright not to be.

            Forcing herself to be calm, she surveyed the scene.

            Lewis was collapsed in the sand, against one of the stone walls. Cleo fell to her knees beside him. A trickle of blood fell from her elbow. His face…his face was extremely pale, tinged with blue, his eyes stared up at the sky. They were blank. Rikki’s breath rushed out of her, and she forced her eyes away.

            The tripod with Lewis’ camera perched on top glittered. It seemed to be encrusted in ice. Slowly, her eyes traveled to the other side of the room. To the pool. The pool that was, well, was no longer a pool. It was frozen. Frozen fucking solid. She noticed for the first time that it was extremely cold.

            “Rikki,” Cleo’s voice was, understandably, tinged with hysteria. Her breath came out as a fog. “He’s alive. He’s alive.”

            “He’s alive?” She turned robotically to where Cleo was hunched over Lewis’ body.

            “His blood is – is moving.”

            “How can you tell?” She wasn’t taking his pulse. Rikki thought her heart would explode, it was pumping so fast.

            “I can…feel it. He’s so cold…”

            Rikki looked back at the frozen pool, noticing something she hadn’t seen before. The ice seemed to glow a familiar impossible blue, but there, in the center…

            “Why is it so cold?”

            “ _Cleo!_ ”

            “What?”

            “She’s in there!”

            Cleo stood and rushed to the edge of the ice, nearly falling in. Rikki clutched at her shirt. In the center of the block of ice, probably five feet down, was something deep copper in color. Rikki saw every single facet of the ice, almost all the way down to Piper. Something seemed to be buzzing deep in her skull. She felt too alive, to electric, and wondered if Cleo felt it, too. Cleo made a noise that sounded like a sob. She was going to lose it.

            “Do you think you can break up the ice?”

            Tears welled in Cleo’s brown eyes. “I don’t h-have an ice pick or anything-“

            Rikki took a deep breath, resisting the urge to slap her. “You have powers,” she told her through gritted teeth.

            Red rimmed brown eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, yes.”

            “Get to work.”

            “But can’t you –”

            “I’ve got to help Lewis.”

            Cleo’s expression hardened and she nodded once. Rikki let go of her and, reluctantly, went back to Lewis. He looked really, really bad. Like a corpse. But, somehow, Rikki could sense the warmth of his blood. Now that she was looking, she could see crystalline shards of ice under his nostrils and around his eyes. The exact opposite of her dream. Her dream, oh god.

            She would have to be very, very careful with this.

            “Breathe, Rikki, breathe,” she whispered to herself. She put her hand to Lewis’ forehead. It was as cold as it looked. Then she stopped and closed his eyelids. It was too damn creepy.

            His blood was warm underneath the cold layer of clothes. She could see the beat of his pulse in his neck, weak but there. If her powers were this sensitive, she may as well put them to good use. She put her hands over Lewis’ chest, reaching under his shirt to connect to his frozen skin. He was breathing. Using only the barest hint of her powers, she let her senses reach out to his sluggishly moving blood.

            Her first, irrational thought was to heat up his blood. He would yell at her for this later, she realized. If he were awake, he would probably tell her to warm her hands and work on his skin first, obviously. _That sounds about right,_ she thought to herself. Even in her imagination, he was being condescending.

            “Come, on, you arse,” she muttered, warming her hands. She moved them over his chest slowly, rubbing life back into him. It felt like ages before he started to thaw. Keeping an even pace, she moved to his arms. She refused to think about what would happen if this didn’t work. Or if she couldn’t control herself…

            She gritted her teeth and felt her hands get just a little bit hotter.

            Behind her, there was a large cracking sound, and Cleo made a frustrated sobbing noise.

            “It’s not working!”

            “Keep going,” Rikki said. She didn’t need to yell – the cave amplified her voice. “We’re stronger now, can’t you feel it?”

            Cleo sobbed again. Rikki wasn’t going to look up, but the light seemed slightly dimmer than it was. The moon was moving over the top of the volcano, calling to her. She worked over Lewis with renewed vigor, unsure how long her enhanced abilities would last.

            She thought that some color was returning to his cheeks, maybe. She could feel his temperature rising, and she didn’t question how any of this was possible. There wasn’t time.

            Then, by the grace of whatever God watched over mermaids, Lewis’ hand twitched. Then his entire arm twitched. It felt like an eternity had passed. She sucked in a breath, resting her hands on his cheeks. His breathing was stronger. She traced her fingers under his eyes, and the ice melted from this eyelashes.

            He started coughing, and his eyes opened blearily. Rikki felt a single hot tear roll down her cheek. He was alive. She wasn’t a monster.

            “R-R-Rikki –” He started, but she threw herself onto him and hugged him tight, allowing herself a loud laugh of victory.

            “Rikki–“

            “Shut up,” she told him, jubilant over her victory but eager to help Cleo. He rolled to his side with a groan and hugged his legs to his chest.

            Rikki turned around to Cleo, who had managed to create a shallow web of cracks along the ice.

            “It’s not working. I can’t move it for some reason.”

            With a confidence Rikki felt she had more than earned just now – Lewis was going to owe her _big_ – she kneeled next to Cleo and put her hands on the ice. Though she could see what Cleo meant – the ice wasn’t reacting as it should– but she could feel the power surging through her start to wane.

            “Just let go, okay?”

            She held her hand out, Cleo did the same. As the last rays of moonlight inched away, she let it all loose, and the ice began to shift and crack. Then, suddenly, there was a blast of arctic wind, gale force and right in Rikki’s face. She cried out and covered her face as the cave was instantaneously filled with icy steam.

            The fog created cool droplets on her skin as the temperature of the room drastically increased. As it slowly cleared, she saw that her shirt was damp, and there was a thin layer of moisture over her whole body. But she didn’t sprout a tail. Belatedly, she noticed that the buzzing in her head was gone. The light that had blazed through the cavern faded enough that Rikki chanced a look up. The sky was a dark blue, and the moon had completely passed over the top of the volcano.

            “Rikki,” Cleo said quietly. Piper had floated to the top of the now liquid water, and was looking up at the two scratched up, dirty girls standing in front of her.

            “What happened to you guys?”

            Rikki looked back up, wondering if they had accomplished anything at all or if the full moon had decided it was done for the night. Either way, it was over.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thx for reading, guys. As usual I love feedback and I LOVE compliments :) Leave your favorite part in the comments!


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